The Infected
by KungFuu
Summary: AU KakaIru A strange sickness is spreading through town, and soon Iruka and Kakashi, two high school teachers, along with their students, will find themselves fighting to survive a zombie invasion. Naruto meets Zombie Flick!
1. Everything is Calm and Normal

**The Infected**

**Chapter 1**

"_**Everything is Calm and Normal"**_

A brightly colored liquid began to bubble over a flame, its hue rapidly darkening, and Sasuke jotted down the reaction in his lab book. He'd been coming to school early for the past month to use the lab facilities for his science project. The lab was well stocked and the school was deserted in the mornings, so the arrangement was almost perfect for the anti-social boy, with only one exception.

"Maa...Sasuke, do you think Iruka likes red roses more than white ones?" his eccentric chemistry teacher mused aloud. He sat at his desk, reclined in a rolling chair, idly perusing a Japanese manga that was definitely not school appropriate.

"Teachers aren't supposed to discuss their personal lives with their students," Sasuke answered, without any hint of true annoyance in his tone. Despite Kakashi Hatake's oddities (including his unorthodox fixation with Iruka Umino), he was still by far Sasuke's favorite teacher. Sasuke knew that the silver-haired man was a genius and he respected his intelligence, even if he didn't understand why Mr. Hatake was working as a sophomore chemistry teacher instead of in a laboratory somewhere curing cancer. Hatake didn't offer the reason, and Sasuke didn't ask.

"I bet he'd prefer red. Hmmm...definitely red. I think I'll leave some on his desk tomorrow, and say they're from a secret admirer," Kakashi schemed. Sasuke huffed in amusement and jotted a few more notes down.

"First of all, everyone including him will know they're from you, and he'll only get embarrassed and teased about it. Secondly, while he may or may not share your orientation, its obvious to anyone with eyes that your advances make him uncomfortable," Sasuke assessed, as if he were a scientist analyzing a particularly uninteresting specimen. Kakashi pouted at his surly yet brilliant student's back and then flipped another page in his manga.

"He's not uncomfortable around me. We've been on several dates," Kakashi insisted, sounding only mildly defensive. Sasuke shot him a challenging look.

"How many of these so called 'dates' were the mentoring sessions the principal ordered him to attend with you?" Kakashi's sour expression told the Uchiha his hypothesis had been correct. His victory was short-lived, however. Kakashi grinned at him suddenly, with scary cheerfulness, his vaguely Asiatic eyes squinting happily into little upside down Us.

"You made a miscalculation about three steps ago, Sasuke." The dark-haired boy turned back to his project hastily, just in time for the chemical he was working with to belch a particularly putrid smelling cloud of gas into his face. He gagged, frantically trying to wave away the cloud of fumes.

"Don't worry, it's not dangerous to breathe, though it might sting a bit," Kakashi added. Sasuke's lungs were _burning_, not merely stinging, and he scowled heatedly as his irritating teacher as his project literally went up in smoke.

"You could have said something!" Sasuke accused indignantly. His teacher flipped another page in his book and merely grinned.

"Ah, but Sasuke, science is all about those little surprises that make it fascinating."

"Damn it. This is completely ruined," Sasuke grumbled, surveying the angry liquids festering over their burners. "I'll have to wait till after the weekend now. How annoying."

"I'd let you come in after class today, but Iruka and I have a date."

"Mentoring session," Sasuke replied caustically. Kakashi just grinned. His rebuttal ("No, Sasuke, it's definitely a _date."_) was partially drowned out by the bell ringing and the clatter of Sasuke hastily tidying up his workstation. Sasuke collected his things and slung his book bag over his shoulder.

"I assume I'll see you third period, then?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi made a noise behind his book that could have either been confirmation or denial. Sasuke's class with Kakashi wasn't until the end of the day, but he had homeroom for a half-hour before third period with Umino, and since Kakashi's conference period was during second, he'd fallen into a daily habit of paying the language teacher a friendly (though usually unwelcome) visit. Despite his seeming lack of enthusiasm, Sasuke knew he'd be seeing Kakashi on his way into Umino's classroom, when Kakashi was heading back to his own classroom after yet another embarrassing attempt to flirt with the new teacher.

Kakashi finally tucked his yaoi manga away and glanced at his sloppily written lesson plans. None of his classes were doing lab work, which meant it would be yet another boring day with only his Iruka-time to make things interesting. Kakashi stood and stretched his tall, lanky frame and then uncapped a dry-erase marker, scrawling some barely legible notes across the pristine, white board.

His students shuffled in and quieted with little fuss. Kakashi pretended to take attendance while secretly not giving a shit, and then proceeded to lecture on auto-pilot, while his mind was actually puzzling over an unexpected development in one of his pet projects at home. Using this technique of mental multi-tasking, Thursday morning quickly slipped away and it was his and Iruka's free period.

The addition of Iruka Umino to the staff had been one of the happiest days in Kakashi's recent memory. Iruka Umino was young and new to the country, and he still possessed the fiery motivation all new teachers have to change the world one class at a time. While Kakashi had learned that Iruka had spent some time in the States as a child, he was still largely unaccustomed to American life and the education system in particular. For that reason, Principal Tsunade had thought to appoint Kakashi as a mentor of sorts, since Kakashi had been teaching for over five years and also spoke Japanese. He'd even lived in Japan with his parents for a year as a child, but then his parents had died and he'd gone back to the Sates and the care of his maternal grandparents.

Kakashi had at first disliked the idea of having to babysit the newbie, but after one look at Iruka Umino in their first staff meeting, he'd been singing a different tune. The man was gorgeous. He was dark in skin-tone for a Japanese man, but he had the most beautiful chocolate colored, almond shaped eyes. His hair wasn't the typical black shade either, but it was a lustrous auburn with the satiny shine and natural straightness of Asiatic hair. Kakashi assumed (though Iruka always avoided the topic of his parents) that the man was also bi-racial. He liked to think Iruka's non-Asian half was something more exotic than American, though, perhaps Indian or Spanish.

He made the short trip to Iruka's hallway, passing his long time friend Asuma on the way and inquiring politely about Kurenai's health. The two happily married teachers were eight months pregnant, and Kurenai would be going on maternity leave in just a few short weeks.

"She's doing good. Not feeling nearly as sick now. I know she's getting tired of me always trying to get her to eat something," Asuma replied, already grinning that 'I'm-going-to-be-a-daddy' grin.

"Still doing alright on the patch?" Kakashi asked with a smirk. Kurenai had requested the gruff math teacher ditch his addiction, for the health of their baby. Kakashi knew, however, that Asuma still sneaked off sometimes during their conference period for a quick smoke behind the school—that was, in fact, probably where he was headed. A guilty grin was Kakashi's answer.

"You going to see Iruka?" Asuma asked knowingly, nodding his head in the vague direction of Iruka's classroom. It was Kakashi's turn to flash a grin.

"I think I'm making progress," he commented optimistically. At the end of the hallway, a kid slouched by in a lazy stroll, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Kakashi and Asuma could see his i-pod headphones even from the end of the hallway.

"Shikamaru, skipping class again and listening to that damned music player that I take up every other day. That kid's gonna drive me crazy this year. I better go get him back where he's supposed to be. Later, Kakashi," Asuma said, heading off down the hall after the brilliant slacker.

Kakashi continued on to Iruka's classroom, where the soft sounds of traditional Japanese music could be heard, along with a conversation spoken entirely and fluidly in the language. Kakashi's brain immediately clicked over into Japanese, and he pushed open the slightly open door to see Iruka leaning against his desk conversing with one of his seniors and fluent speakers, a boy named Haku. Kakashi had taught him three years ago—he was a good kid, though obviously very different. He sometimes wore girl's clothing to school, but he didn't seemed to be teased much for it. The only other times Kakashi saw him outside of Iruka's classroom, he was always hanging around the school's security guard, never talking, just standing close nearby and placidly watching students shuffle past.

Iruka, however, seemed to really like the feminine Japanese-American.

"I was homesick at first, but it's not too bad now," Iruka was saying. They looked up when he entered.

"Hello, Iruka, am I interrupting?" Kakashi asked with a smile. Haku's intelligent eyes darted between them both and then he smiled knowingly at the blush on Iruka's face, and the flash of mild irritation in his expressive eyes.

"No, Mr. Hatake, you aren't interrupting. Haku and I were just chatting. He's a library-aid next period, so he can usually stay a bit longer to talk with me. I miss hearing fluent Japanese, so it's always a treat for me," Iruka said, giving the slender boy a fond smile. Haku tucked some of his long dark hair behind a delicate ear and once again looked between them both meaningfully.

"Mr. Hatake speaks Japanese, too, doesn't he?" Haku asked. So far, no English had been spoken.

"Yes, but I've discovered Mr. Hatake's Japanese vocabulary is not always entirely appropriate." Haku laughed, and it sounded more like the soft giggle of a girl rather than the laughter of a seventeen year old teenage boy.

"It's probably due to his choice in reading material. It's quite distinctive, if I remember correctly," Haku replied, obviously teasing. It was no secret that Hatake openly read books that were borderline pornographic during school hours. Somehow, he'd managed to get away with it for years. "Well, I better be going. I'll see you tomorrow, Iruka-sensei." The Japanese boy bowed politely and then left, flashing Kakashi a sweetly encouraging smile as he left. "Good luck," he muttered in English.

Iruka clearly didn't hear the comment, as he had moved back around his desk and was stacking up some papers that needed to be graded.

"Having a good morning?" Kakashi asked. The brunet man smiled at him and shrugged his shoulders. Today, he was wearing a light blue button up shirt and a soft white, V-necked sweater. He'd already taken his tie off, and the top few buttons were undone on his shirt, giving the outfit a more relaxed look than Kakashi was accustomed to seeing him wear. He definitely liked it. Kakashi wore the same khaki pants, dress shirt, tie and sport jacket combo nearly every day of the year, but Iruka was always finding ways to look both professional and youthful at the same time.

"I was about to get some coffee in the staff room. Would you like to come along?" Iruka asked him politely. Kakashi smiled.

"I don't drink coffee, but I'll walk with you," he replied. Iruka blushed again, and Kakashi reveled in it. The man was endlessly amusing.

"I thought we weren't meeting until after school today, Mr. Hatake. Has something come up and you can't make it?" Iruka asked. Kakashi tried not to be hurt that Iruka's tone sounded almost hopeful. He knew the teacher disliked the idea of having a mentor now that he'd pretty much figured things out, but Kakashi kept suggesting times for them to meet with the hope that one day soon they'd talk less and less about how Iruka's classes were going and more and more about the naughty things they could do to each other in bed.

"I've told you to call me Kakashi a million times, haven't I? And no, we can still meet after school today. I just know we have the same conference period, and I like to spend it with you."

The teacher, predictably, flushed with color. "It's very thoughtful of you, but I'm really quite settled now. I can make it through the morning without needing a counselor...barely," Iruka joked, thinking fondly of his third period class and particularly of a certain boisterous blond that was always causing chaos. Thoughts of Naruto's antics made him smile, and Kakashi hoped the gentle expression was for him.

"I'm not that serious about my mentoring assignment, Iruka. I just like spending time with you," Kakashi replied, as they began to walk down the hallway. This time, Iruka responded to his teasing with misdirection instead of denial.

"So, do you have any fun plans for the weekend?" Iruka asked. Kakashi continued to glance at the man with fond, adoring looks as they walked and conversed, looks which Iruka pretended he didn't notice.

"Maaa...nothing _too_ exciting, though I'm sure I could think of something entertaining that we could do if you'd like some company." The language teacher tensed up, and hastily entered the staff room, stammering out that he already had other plans, but thanking him for trying to make him feel welcome on the staff. Kakashi grinned at how purposefully obtuse Iruka was being. It was obvious he couldn't bring himself to be impolite, but it was also clear Kakashi's increased flirting was pushing the man into a corner.

As he fixed his coffee in the empty staff room, he concentrated on the machine with all the intensity of someone diffusing a bomb. Deciding to give the amusing man some time to cool off, Kakashi idly wandered over to the snack machine and purchased a cereal bar. He'd woken up late that morning and missed his usual breakfast of fruit salad and toast.

"What do you usually eat for breakfast, Iruka?" Kakashi asked, watching the little coil of metal rotate and drop his bar to the bottom of the machine.

"Um...lots of things, I suppose. Back home I had a more traditional breakfast of rice and whatever else I had lying around, but lately I've been stopping at a kolache place by my apartment." The word 'kolache' sounded funny when Iruka pronounced it, and Kakashi grinned. Everything about Iruka was sexy, especially his hint of an accent.

Kakashi took a bite of the cereal bar, surreptitiously checking out Iruka's posterior as he bent over to search for a coffee mug in the cabinets. Oh yeah, when he said everything about Iruka was sexy, he meant _everything._ Especially that part.

The teacher stood, mug in hand, and waited for the coffee pot to fill. He glanced back, clearly to see what Kakashi was up to, and seemed unnerved to find himself being stared at.

"Did a student put a note on my back or something?" Iruka asked, his pony tail swinging as he tried to pat at his own back to find what Kakashi was looking at so intensely.

"There's nothing on your back, Iruka, don't worry," Kakashi assured. He didn't, however, offer an explanation as to why he'd been blatantly staring. Kakashi decided to push his luck a little further today. "You know, for our date today, there's a coffee place near my house that's pretty good. If you like coffee, we could get a bite to eat there while we talk." So far, their "dates" had only been at the school. Iruka shifted uncomfortably.

"Err...thank you for the invitation, but it would really be more convenient for me to talk in my classroom like usual." For the first time on his self-appointed mission to flirt with the adorable teacher, Kakashi wondered if Iruka was straight and just too embarrassed to say so.

"Do you have plans this afternoon, with a new girlfriend, perhaps?" Kakashi asked. The Japanese man blushed yet again and busied himself with pouring a mug of coffee. Kakashi noted with amusement that he added a ton of sugar and cream to the bitter drink, till it looked more like hot chocolate.

"No girlfriend, I just offered to treat Naruto to some ramen this afternoon," Iruka replied. Kakashi's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"He's that loud kid always hanging around Sasuke Uchiha, right?" Kakashi didn't have him in any of his classes—all his students were advanced learners. Iruka smiled at the description and blew delicately on his cup of caramel colored coffee. The aroma was soothing, and he let it calm his frayed nerves. He didn't know why he always felt so on edge around the odd chemistry teacher, but lately he was beginning to suspect that man was flirting with him. At least, that's what all his students told him. He had a hard time believing that, though, preferring to think Kakashi's behavior was just friendliness.

"Yes, he's best friends with Sasuke. He lives in the apartment next to mine, but his father is a businessman and never seems to be home, always working late. Children shouldn't be left alone so much of the time, so I try to treat him to dinner every now and then and in return he's been helping me get settled in the city."

Kakashi smiled, but inwardly he was cursing his luck for not being the one with the apartment next to the sexy teacher. This did open up new possibilities, though. If Iruka was close to Naruto, and Naruto was best friends with Sasuke, and Sasuke was his evil prodigy, then just maybe...

Kakashi's scheming was interrupted by the entrance of some English teachers, all of them close to retirement, who quickly took to fussing in a motherly fashion over Iruka. Kakashi watched in amusement as the older ladies pushed parts of their home-baked lunches on him, even giving him baked goods they'd brought especially for him. With his arms full of cookies, cakes, and samples of what he'd been assured was simply the _best_ recipe for the dish that he would ever put in his mouth, Iruka managed to escape the staff room with Kakashi on his heels.

"When did you charm the English department?" Kakashi asked, his amusement written all over his face. The blushing language teacher merely shook his head.

"I'm starting to learn that politeness and common courtesy is highly appreciated by the elderly in America. It's more expected behavior in Japan, but here they all want me to marry their daughters," Iruka joked weakly. Kakashi plucked a little plastic bag full of what looked like chocolate-chip cookies off the top of the pile.

"Do you mind?" Kakashi asked. Iruka shook his head.

"Help yourself. If I eat all the things they keep baking for me, I'm going to gain fifty pounds. I usually just let the students eat it."

"Ah, and that would explain why they're all so fond of you—not that it's surprising. Who wouldn't be fond of you?" Kakashi asked, idly eating one of the delicious cookies. They were scrumptious. Buttering up to the book club had its perks, apparently. Beside him, the adorable brunet blushed yet again and averted his eyes.

The short walk back to Iruka's classroom ended and he dumped his armload of goodies onto a spare desk. The classical Japanese music was still playing softly, and Iruka dropped into his chair with a sigh, rubbing tiredly at his eyes and then yawning hugely. He covered his mouth a second too late and then looked hastily at Kakashi.

"Excuse me, I don't know why I'm so tired today," Iruka apologized. Kakashi worked on his second cookie as he half-sat on a student desk, merely watching the object of his affections. Iruka couldn't meet his eyes for long, and nervously looked out his window. "So...err...how have your classes been going, Mr. Hatake?" Iruka asked. Kakashi shook his head with exasperation.

"Kakashi. Call me Kakashi," he repeated. "And my classes are boring as usual. Sasuke Uchiha's been keeping things interesting in the mornings, though. I think he's got his eye set on winning the National Science Fair this year, and he's been dabbling in things way over his head with highly amusing results."

The brunet smiled politely. Kakashi wanted to get underneath that polite smile. He wanted Iruka to smile at him like he was the love of his life. _'Patience,'_ Hatake mentally reminded himself, _'Just have patience!'_

"I'd tell you how my classes were going, but then we wouldn't have much to talk about this afternoon," Iruka replied. Kakashi's look turned a little sultry.

"Oh, I'm sure we could find _something_ to talk about," Kakashi said, his flirtatious intent glaringly obvious—to anyone but Iruka, of course.

"Yes, I didn't mean to imply that you weren't interesting company Mr. Ha—I mean Kakashi," Iruka replied neutrally. The eyes Kakashi was so entranced by darted to the clock on the wall, as if the man was wondering if he was going to get any of his conference period to himself. If Kakashi were polite, he'd make his excuses and leave, but Iruka was the polite one—he was a man on a mission to seduce.

"Iruka, can I ask you a personal question?" Kakashi began. The Japanese man's eyes widened apprehensively, and Kakashi didn't miss the nervous gulp.

"Err, I suppose so," he replied. Kakashi grinned, a little lecherously.

"Do you prefer white roses or red ones?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity, his eyes arching happily as he smiled. He didn't miss Iruka's look of complete bewilderment.

"I'm afraid I don't understand why..." Iruka began to say, but then he trailed off, looking at Kakashi as if seeing him for the first time. "Mr. Hatake, I'm afraid I have to ask...are you...um...flirting with me?" He looked so embarrassed as he asked, that Kakashi could only just barely hold back uproarious laughter. True, Kakashi had been particularly bold today, but he'd been flirting with the man for three months now—everybody knew that. Iruka was slow on the uptake, but Kakashi just found it endearing. He stood, casually dropping the left-over cookies on the desk and closing the distance between himself and the flustered teacher. The brunet stood nervously as he was approached, taking a half-step backwards. Kakashi advanced closer still and Iruka backed up again, his back gently colliding with his white-board. Making his intentions very obvious, Kakashi placed a hand on the board beside Iruka's head, leaning over to speak directly into Iruka's ear.

"You're adorable when you blush, you know that?" Kakashi half-whispered, smirking against Iruka's soft cheek. Up so close, he could hear Iruka's quick gasp and saw the way the man's hands tightly gripped the chalk rack behind him.

Whatever Iruka's reply might have been was interrupted by the loud clanging of the school bells. Pleased with the timing, Kakashi pulled back quickly and casually waved goodbye over his shoulder.

"I'll see you later, Iruka-_sensei_," he practically purred, making the man's title seem naughty somehow. The earliest of Iruka's homeroom students began to pile in, Sasuke among them. He took one look at his flushed Japanese language teacher still gripping his white-board and almost looking as pale, and came to the conclusion he'd just missed what was probably a text-book case of sexual harassment amongst co-workers. His best friend, a blond whirlwind more commonly known as Naruto Uzumaki, came barreling into the classroom, followed by the unnervingly quite transfer student from Egypt, Gaara Suna. Gaara went to his spot and didn't say anything to any of them, though he watched them all intensely with his flat green eyes. Naruto took one look at his stunned teacher and let out a cheery laugh.

"Geez, Iruka-sensei, you look like you've just seen a ghost!" At the blond's loud comment, the teacher literally blushed from head to toe, turning an almost alarming shade of red. Sasuke smirked. For the first time, Iruka-sensei looked completely ruffled by Hatake's efforts. Sasuke idly wondered if Kakashi had finally grown tired of Umino's naiveté and decided just to kiss the man. He didn't particularly want to know. He took his usual seat, only glancing up again when Sakura Haruno came running in. She was a friendly girl, very smart, with grades only a little lower than his own. The irony of the fact that both of them were good friends with Naruto, the worst ranked student in their year, didn't escape them.

"Hey guys, hi Iruka-sensei!" She chirruped happily. Upon noticing the extreme blush on her teacher she gave him a more assessing stare. "Oh no, what did Mr. Hatake do today?" she asked, directing the question more at Sasuke and Naruto rather than the flustered language teacher. Iruka cleared his throat, nervously fussing with the papers on his desk.

"That's enough about that, you three. Absolutely nothing is out of the ordinary!" Iruka insisted, his blush slowly fading. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged amused glances while Naruto looked at all of them confusedly.

"Huh? What did that pervy guy Hatake do?" he asked.

"Naruto! He's not a...well...he _is_ a pervert, but you should show respect to your teachers!" Iruka chastised. Sasuke almost chuckled at the usually sweet-natured teacher. Hatake must have really pushed his buttons if the polite man was now acknowledging the universally known truth that he was a pervert. The desks around him filled and Naruto dropped into his own spot after grabbing some of the sweets Iruka usually had sitting in his classroom. Sasuke shook his head disapprovingly—the last thing Naruto needed was sugar. At least he had gym after homeroom, and would burn off the high.

The late bell chimed and announcements came on. They said the pledge and then Iruka passed out some paperwork about photograph day for the yearbook, which was fast approaching.

"I'm also supposed to remind you that the homecoming dance tickets are quickly selling out, and if you'd like to buy some, you can speak with Sakura."

"And you _should_ buy some—it's going to be the best dance of the year, and remember that since we're sophomores, we can't go to prom unless it's with a senior, so this might be your only chance this year to attend a school dance," Sakura interjected. She concluded her sales pitch by darting a hopeful glance at Sasuke. The dark haired boy had not requested to buy tickets yet, and Sakura had turned down two other boys already in the hope that Sasuke would ask her. Sasuke returned her look with a slightly raised brow, as if asking why she was staring at him.

_'Ugh! Boys are hopeless!'_ Sakura fumed. The bell clanged yet again, and the students shuffled out. Only the three friends, along with the ever silent Gaara, lingered behind. Sasuke got the impression Gaara was hoping to walk with Naruto, though it was difficult to pin down the strange kid's motives. Some days he acted like he didn't see any of them, and other days he stuck to Naruto like his second shadow. Naruto, meanwhile, was hanging around Iruka's desk, turning his puppy-dog stare on high potency.

"You're still taking me out for ramen later, right Iruka-sensei?" Naruto confirmed. The soft-hearted teacher smiled at his favorite student and nodded.

"Of course, Naruto, wouldn't miss it for the world. Remember what I said, though—you need to start focusing more in your classes. I only treat hard-working students to ramen," Iruka encouraged. Naruto beamed and flashed a thumbs-up.

"If it's for ramen, I'll make straight As!" Sakura and Sasuke exchanged amused looks and then dragged the boy out of Iruka's classroom, Gaara following quietly behind.

"Come on, Naruto, or you'll be late for gym and have to run laps," Sakura said. Iruka watched the four students go, still smiling fondly. He realized that no matter how many years he ended up teaching, he was always going to remember these kids especially—his first ever students.

The rest of the day went by quickly, and Iruka assumed that was because he was dreading the visit that would come after the final bell. It wasn't that he was opposed to dating a man, it was simply that he didn't have hardly any experience when it came to such matters. Kakashi's smooth lines and unshakable confidence about it all was a little unnerving. As his last student filed out, Kakashi appeared in his doorway, a spray of red and white roses in hand.

"I noticed the gardening club was cultivating these out in the greenhouses, and they were more than happy to donate some in the name of romance," Kakashi explained. Iruka blushed—_again_—and had that jittery feeling in his stomach, like he'd eaten live fish that kept flopping around inside him.

"Um...thank-you...they're very...flowery," Iruka stuttered, taking the armful of flowers a bit awkwardly and then obviously unclear about where to put them. After a flustered moment of hesitation, he laid them down on a clear part of his desk. Kakashi smiled at him.

"Yes, I thought they were especially flowery, too. So, let's get business out of the way so we can move onto more interesting subjects. Do you have any questions about anything? Your students, your classes, the building? No? That's great. Say, Iruka, are you free this Friday night?" The silver-haired man was invading his personal space again, and even though Iruka realized now that the man had been flirting with him probably since school started months ago, he still felt like all of it was happening with startling speed.

"I...uh...I did have a question! We got that notice in our boxes..." Iruka trailed off as he realized that, yet again, the taller man was skillfully attempting to corner him. He realized with no small amount of alarm that a traitorous part of his mind suddenly liked the idea of being cornered very much.

"Mmm-hmmm—about the fire drill next week?" Kakashi prompted, staring fixedly at Iruka's lips as the flustered man darted his pink tongue over them nervously.

"Yes, that, and I was a little unclear on...on..." Iruka's words faded away as Kakashi leaned in, chastely slanting his mouth over Iruka's. The brunet let out a small whimper of mingled nerves and encouragement, and let his eyes drift shut. His arms wrapped around Kakashi's torso of their own accord, and he leaned into the tall American's gentle kiss. He'd been kissed before, a few times during college, but nothing that electrified him like this did. His co-worker pulled back a few inches, grinned at Iruka's intoxicating expression, and then affectionately kissed the tip of Iruka's nose.

"You'll take your class down the south stairway, and out towards the parking lots," Kakashi said, answering his earlier question. Iruka blinked confusedly.

"Huh?" he asked, clearly dazed. Kakashi laughed, and then tucked a wayward strand of Iruka's long hair behind the curve of his ear.

"You asked me about the fire drill, remember?" The language teacher looked embarrassed, and then purposefully put some distance between them, smoothing out his clothing and hair.

"Right, of course, south stairway. Thank-you."

"And the answer to my question?" Kakashi prompted, casually slipping his hands into his pockets and enjoying watching the flustered motions of his heart's desire.

"I don't know, I mean, I should probably check my calendar..." Iruka replied distractedly. Kakashi just grinned.

"Say you'll go on a date with me, Iruka, this Friday." The brunet stilled and actually looked at him for the first time, without blushing or averting his eyes. He gave Kakashi an adorable half-smile.

"Okay. I would like that," he agreed. Kakashi nodded, satisfied, and resisted the urge to kiss the alluring teacher again, because he knew if he did that, then there was no way he'd be able to let the teacher go on with his afternoon plans. Besides, the first kiss had gotten the job done—Iruka finally looked like he'd woken up and (Kakashi glanced at Iruka's desk amusedly) smelled the roses, so to speak.

Kakashi collected his things from his classroom and locked up, thinking dreamily all the while about Iruka. It had been so long since he'd been interested in something other than his research, but the man had completely seduced him without even trying. As Kakashi drove to his small apartment closer to the heart of the city, he thought of what he should wear, where he would take him, and sternly reminded himself not to push for anything more than a kiss; it was obvious, after all, that he'd need to move slowly with Iruka. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the repetitive beeping of his slender black cell phone, alerting him that he had a text message.

Kakashi reached his apartment and took his briefcase inside, setting it down in the small entrance hallway and saying a quick greeting to his houseplant that sat on his nearby window ledge.

"The roses were a good idea, Mr. Ukki. We have a date on Friday," Kakashi said, not at all perturbed by the fact that he held imaginary conversations with his little green friend. Kakashi hung his jacket on the coat rack, toed out of his shoes near the hallway table, and dropped his keys in a little dish he kept just for that purpose. He tended to lose them if he wasn't careful. His apartment was clean but not fastidiously so, there were a few old science journals spread out on his coffee table that he'd been looking over the previous night, and a basket of his laundry sat patiently on the couch, waiting to be folded and ironed. It was a beautiful, sunny Californian afternoon, and Kakashi contemplated the idea of getting out of the make-shift lab in his second bedroom and going for a walk. His kiss with Iruka had given him a new zest for life, he realized with a grin.

He emerged from his bedroom in a relaxed pair of jeans, barefoot, wearing his favorite green T-shirt that had been washed to complete softness. He jauntily grabbed an apple in his kitchen, tossing it in the air a few times before he took a satisfying bite. He hummed a little tune as he searched his nearly empty fridge for something to eat, and then he finally heard it.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Kakashi stood, the cool air from his refrigerator rushing out into his small kitchen. He closed the door, padding over to his front door where he'd left his briefcase.

_'I wonder who could be sending me a text message?'_ Kakashi thought as he located the small device and pressed a few buttons. He didn't get phone calls very often, and for a second he wondered if somehow Iruka had obtained his number and was sending him a flirty little note.

The sender's name was hauntingly familiar—Rin Kishimoto. This was _definitely _not going to be a flirtatious note, then. Kakashi was almost afraid to open it, his mind racing with all the reasons (none of them good) that his old co-worker might have for sending him something. They'd been friends once, but they hadn't parted on friendly terms, and the people Rin still worked for were a dangerous group. To be honest, Kakashi had been lucky to get out of that circle alive.

With a sense of dread, he clicked on the 'open' button. The message was brief and chilling.

**Get out of the city – Rin**

Kakashi swallowed thickly and wondered what his chances were of convincing Iruka to come with him to his cabin in the woods for the weekend so early on in their relationship. The message destroyed his good mood, and left him fretting about what to do. He assumed he had a little time, at least, but he quickly turned on his small television to be sure. The newsman was running through reports of burglaries and celebrities—and making no mention whatsoever about impending disaster. Of course, that didn't mean much, but it slightly reassured him.

Kakashi knew that if Rin was contacting him, it could only be because of one thing. She still worked for labs that did dangerous experimentation, and something dangerous was probably about to hit the city. For years he'd lived alone without anyone to really care for, but now his thoughts raced to Iruka. Sure, the man could navigate his way to the grocery store and had learned how to hail a cab, but if something truly horrific were to happen in the city, any kind of crisis the sort of which Rin was forecasting, the foreigner would be all but helpless. As far as Kakashi knew, the man didn't even own a car. He would be trapped in the city with no friends or family to aid him through the disaster. Someway, somehow, Kakashi knew tomorrow at school he had to convince the teacher to come with him.

It was risky, and it could backfire horribly, but one sure-fire way of getting Iruka into his car was to pretend they were going on their date, and then Kakashi could simply start driving up into the mountains. Iruka would probably be angry and frightened, but hopefully he would thank Kakashi later. Kakashi realized he would also have to tip off Sasuke, somehow. The boy was smart and he knew Kakashi wouldn't joke around about something of that nature. Hopefully he'd heed Kakashi's warning and convince his parents to take him somewhere for the weekend, out of harm's way.

Kakashi sighed, angrily deleting the ominous text message. He'd have to get ready for what could potentially be a long stay at his cabin.


	2. But Then People Start Eating Each Other

**Chapter 2**

"_**But Then People Start Eating Each Other"**_

Iruka pedaled hard and expertly navigated his bicycle towards the school. He was running a little late, and he knew he needed to pick up his pace—showing up sweaty was better than not showing up on time. He reached the bike racks and hurriedly locked up his mountain bike, pulling his brief case out of the back basket and darting into the high school, attempting to smooth down his hair and tie as he power-walked. He waved a quick hello at the secretary in the front of the office, but skipped checking his box for any mail. He took the stairs two at a time and finally reached his classroom, where a few early students were already waiting, Haku among them. The gentle natured boy smiled reassuringly.

"Take a moment to catch your breath, Iruka-sensei, there's no hurry," he greeted in Japanese. Iruka nodded, smiling, still too out of breath to reply just yet. He unlocked the door and the students sleepily filed inside, taking their seats quietly. The sky beyond the classroom window was overcast and threatening rain. Iruka was glad it hadn't down poured. On days when it rained in the mornings, he had to catch the school bus with Naruto, and that was always a little embarrassing for some reason.

"Good morning everyone, sorry I'm running a little late," Iruka finally greeted. He got a few lethargic replies, but most of his students (it was a small class of only eight), were either resting with their heads on their arms or shuffling through their backpacks. Iruka pulled out the papers he would need for the day and then began to write Japanese characters on the board. His most advanced students sighed at the realization they would need to take notes, and reluctantly pulled out their pens and notebooks. The tardy bell rang, and class officially started.

Iruka spent the first twenty minutes of class lecturing about the finer points of the Japanese language, but he devoted the last twenty minutes to addressing questions and concerns the students had about their projects. They'd only had the assignment for a month, and it wasn't due until Christmas, but many of them had already put in long hours on it. By the time Iruka answered their questions and looked over what they had started, class was almost over. Haku approached his desk in his quiet, delicate way and waited patiently for Iruka to finish grading a worksheet.

"Yes, Haku, something I can help you with?"

"I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor. I know you have next period off, and I requested permission from the librarians to stay here to use your book collection. It would help me a great deal with my project, but I understand if you have other plans for your break." Pleased with his student's initiative, and ignoring the suspicion that Haku was referring to other plans with Kakashi specifically, Iruka nodded.

"That would be fine, Haku. Use whatever you need. Now that I think about it, I might have a book at home that would be very useful to you. I'll have to bring it to you on Monday."

"Thank-you, Iruka-sensei, that's very thoughtful," Haku said, before returning to his seat after carefully selecting a few of Iruka's books from Japan. The bell rang and the other students left. It wasn't until nearly ten minutes later that Kakashi showed up, mug of coffee in hand.

"I expected to find you in the staff room, but when I didn't, I grabbed a cup of coffee for you," Kakashi said. He set the mug on Iruka's desk, noticing Haku quietly working at his desk. "Oh, hey, Haku."

"Hello, Mr. Hatake," the polite boy replied. Iruka smiled at the man that he supposed he was now dating, though the idea seemed strange. The coffee Kakashi had brought him was loaded with cream and sugar, just the way he liked it. Iruka's stomach did another flip-flop.

"Thank you, that was very thoughtful," Iruka said. He gestured to an extra seat close to his desk. "Sit down, you look like you've had a stressful morning." It was true, the tall man's silver hair was even more unruly than usual, and there were dark smudges under his eyes suggesting he hadn't slept well the night before. He sat, darted a glance at Haku (who pretended to be completely absorbed in his reading) and tried to sound casual.

"I know this isn't all that considerate of me, but I was hoping we could leave together straight from school today. There's...err...something I'd like for you to see, but it's kind of a drive away. I promise it'll be worth your time, though," Kakashi said in a low voice. Iruka tilted his head in silent question.

"What is it?" he asked. Kakashi faked a smile, but even Iruka could tell something was off about the man's mannerisms. He noticed Kakashi's hands were sweating, and he was rubbing them absently against his pants.

"I can't tell you that. You don't want to ruin the surprise, do you?" Kakashi asked, a hint of his usual smile breaking through. Iruka decided the older man was perhaps just nervous, as well as being a little tired. It was the end of the week, after all.

"Alright then. Um, am I dressed okay, though?" Iruka asked, glancing down at his dark blue slacks and his light purple, striped button up shirt. He supposed it was dressy enough for a show or a nice restaurant, if that was what Kakashi had in mind. Kakashi didn't even look over his outfit, just nodded quickly.

"You're dressed fine. I have to go find Asuma, I'm pretty sure you've met him—math teacher? Married to Kurenai, the pregnant history teacher?" Kakashi asked. Iruka nodded a bit confusedly.

"Yes, we've met, but Kakashi—"

"I know I'm springing it on you suddenly, but forgive me okay? Now I've really got to find Asuma. I'll meet you here after school, all right? Just make sure you don't forget and leave without me, alright? It's very important."

"Uh...okay," Iruka replied, clearly a little confused by Kakashi's strange, almost harried attitude. With complete disregard to the student still sitting nearby, Kakashi leaned over and hastily kissed Iruka's cheek.

"Remember," he repeated at the door, "don't go home!" Then he was gone—literally running down the hallway.

"That was strange," Iruka commented. Haku nodded.

"Mr. Hatake is usually a little baffling, but I admit that he seemed even odder than usual today. Perhaps he's planning a romantic surprise for you?" the dark-haired boy suggested with a sly grin. Iruka blushed, but smiled all the same. His eyes fell on the warm cup of coffee and he happily took a sip. He'd had some time the night before to think over what it would mean to have a relationship with the good-looking American, and decided that while he was a little nervous, the idea definitely had appeal.

Approximately five minutes later, the bell rang and right on cue, the foursome of Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Gaara strolled in. Sakura was animatedly talking to Sasuke about the homecoming dance, while Naruto and Gaara walked a few paces behind. The blond was teasing the red-head about something, and had even managed to coax a small grin out of the normally stoic boy. Iruka smiled at Naruto's friendliness—he was probably the only boy in school that had reached out to the quiet exchange student, just as he had reached out to Iruka. There was something sunny and warm about Naruto that made you feel like no matter how far you were from everything you knew and loved, you still had a friend. Iruka could understand exactly why Gaara was so attached to the energetic boy. More of his homeroom students came in, but not everyone had arrived before there was an unexpected crackling over the announcement system.

"_ATTENTION! This is not a drill! All students who own vehicles are to make their way to the parking lot in an organized fashion and go home. Keep your doors locked and drive straight home. Homeroom teachers, we will be calling your classroom to let you know which students have parents waiting for them in the cafeteria. All bus riders, please wait with your homeroom teacher for further instructions. I repeat, this is not a drill. If you have a vehicle, leave school premises NOW." _

Immediately, there was panic. Iruka clapped his hands loudly and managed to get everyone's attention.

"You heard the principal, if you have a vehicle, or you ride home with someone who does, please make your way to the parking lot. Take your things with you, as you can assume school is ending early. Nearly all of his class left, which meant he didn't need to wait for a call from the secretary about waiting parents. Only five students remained behind: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Gaara and Haku.

"Don't you have a car, Haku?" Iruka asked. The dark-haired boy nodded.

"I do, but if there's an emergency, it's best I wait here. He'll probably be calling me any second." As if on cue, Haku's green cell phone began buzzing in his backpack. He answered it, speaking quietly so that none of the others could hear. Not that anyone could hear anything over Naruto's loud stream of questions.

"What's going on, Iruka-sensei? Why are they letting classes out?"

"I don't know, Naruto, but you four ride a bus, correct?" The four teenagers nodded, and Sakura pulled out her own phone.

"I'm going to call my mom—maybe she knows what's going on," she said. She dialed the number, but shook her head after a few moments. "It's no good—the line is busy." Sasuke pulled out his phone and attempted to call his brother, who had taken care of him since the death of his parents two years previously. He, too, received no answer.

"My brother always answers when I call—no matter what," Sasuke said quietly. "Something must be wrong with cell phone service."

"Mr. Umino, is there reason to be alarmed?" Gaara asked flatly, his English slightly accented. From a few mostly one-sided prior conversations, Iruka had learned that the boy's native language was Egyptian Arabic, but he spoke English and French enough to get by. He was studying in California to improve his English. The fast, muffled announcement had probably been beyond his language abilities. Iruka nodded.

"Yes, Gaara, I don't believe this is normal here. Something appears to be very wrong," Iruka replied. Although the boy's green eyes gave away nothing, Iruka knew he had to be feeling afraid. It was one thing to deal with a crisis in your native land, but it was another thing entirely on foreign soil. "Everything will be fine. I'll make sure you get home safely. You don't have to worry, alright? None of you do."

Iruka's door banged open, and he was surprised to see Kakashi panting for air on the other side.

"Thank God you're still here," Kakashi huffed, surveying the students that still lingered in Iruka's classroom. Following after Kakashi, looking just as harried, came two more teachers, Asuma and his wife Kurenai, along with a handful of their students. Asuma helped his wife into Iruka's chair and nodded at Iruka in greeting. Before anyone had time to speak, the tall, muscular security guard arrived in the doorway, and went straight to Haku.

"We need to go, Haku. The city's going to hell," the tall man said bluntly.

"What have you heard from the station?" Haku asked, clearly anxious.

"The Chief says it's bad—already beyond control. My orders are to evacuate, and you're coming with me," the burly security guard ordered. Haku nodded, collecting up his things.

"Wait, hold on just a second! Are you Haku's guardian?" Iruka asked, looking suspiciously between the two of them. Zabuza's answer was interrupted by another announcement.

"_Attention all teachers—if you have a vehicle that can hold extra people, please take the students you can. The building is not safe, you must evacuate. The buses will not be coming. I repeat, the buses will not be coming. I'm sorry, and God help you all." _

"Iruka-sensei, what does that mean?!" Sakura asked, clearly panicked. The other students in the room looked equally frightened. Kakashi took charge, shutting the door and locking it.

"Listen to me. I don't know details yet, but the city is facing biological warfare. There's no time to look for your families, and if you start walking home, I doubt you'll make it. I have an Excursion with plenty of room, and it's already packed with supplies. I'm heading to my cabin in the mountains, and I suggest you all come with me. Trust me—the further we get from the city, the safer we'll be. We need to travel in as few vehicles as possible, though. Asuma, you and Kurenai have a mini-van, don't you?"

"Yeah," Asuma answered, doing a quick calculation in his head as he counted the people in the room. "We'll all fit into two vehicles."

"You—what's your name?" Kakashi asked, nodding at the tall security guard.

"Officer Zabuza Momochi. I'm not just a school rent-a-cop, and I've got word from my boss that this is nasty stuff. People are ripping each other apart out there. You know what this is?" Zabuza interrogated. Many of the students gasped at the new information.

"I'd have to see a specimen up close, but yes, I have a fairly good idea what's infected everyone. If you're an actual police officer, I take it that means you know how to shoot a gun?" Kakashi confirmed. Zabuza nodded.

"If you can stick a bullet in it, I know how to shoot it," he replied, giving no indication that his statement was mere boast. He was serious as a heart attack.

"Then you'll be very useful to us if you'll come along," Kakashi said. "You'll probably save these kid's lives."

"To be honest, I don't really give a damn about any of you except Haku. But if you've really got this cabin, then that sounds like the best place for him. We'll come with you. We stop by my place first, though. We're going to need some firepower. Besides, I doubt you packed enough food for this many people, and there's a gas station by my place."

"It's risky, but we'll need the supplies, and the weapons, too, most likely," Kakashi confirmed. Kakashi crossed to the window and looked down at the parking lot. The big roads leading out of the school were blocked, but if one cut across the football field, they could drive out onto a back road that wasn't nearly as congested.

"Alright, we're going to head down to the parking lot now. If someone approaches you that's acting sick, or strange, do not make _any_ contact. This virus is not carried in the air. Think of it like a human version of rabies. If you get scratched or bitten, you will be infected. Does everyone understand?"

A frightened silence fell over the room until Naruto stood up shakily, his big blue eyes wide as saucers.

"Are you telling me there's some kind of zombie invasion out there?" Naruto confirmed. Kakashi shot a quick, apologetic glance at Iruka, who now realized why Kakashi had wanted to leave so hastily that afternoon.

"These people aren't dead, but yes, the symptoms are the same. Extreme aggression, the urge to hunt, and a high resistance to pain—the only way to truly stop one immediately would be a bullet to the brain."

"This is ridiculous! I'm not going out there if people are eating each other!" a thin blonde girl protested shrilly.

"Ino, you heard the principal, the building isn't safe. So quit your damn squawking. You're coming with us in the cars," Shikamaru commanded, looking slightly more alert than he usually did, but not by much. A bigger boy, Chouji, placed a comforting hand on Ino's shoulder. She didn't hesitate to press against his side.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Ino. You know that," the stocky teen assured her.

"Alright, we're wasting time," Kakashi said. He unlocked the door and peeked out into the hallway. It was deserted, though it looked like a tornado of papers had blown through. "It's clear, let's go," he informed. Hurriedly, because nobody wanted to be left behind, the group of frightened teens and adults made their way out into the hall. Iruka, briefcase slung over his shoulder, made a point to give Gaara's shoulder a gentle, comforting squeeze as he passed him.

"Stick with me. It's going to be okay," he promised. The stoic boy nodded, and walked on Iruka's left, while Naruto walked closely to his right. Asuma all but carried his wife, who curled her arms around her extended belly protectively. They didn't encounter anyone as they made their way down the stairs and out into the parking lot. Kakashi took charge once again.

"Iruka, you and your students, plus Haku and Zabuza will go in my Excursion. Asuma, you take Kurenai and your students in the van." Asuma nodded, and told his group where they were headed. "We'll meet over at the football field," Kakashi added. The groups split. The parking lot, like the school hallway, seemed nearly emptied. Still, everyone's nerves were strung up tightly, and nobody felt safe despite the fact that they were walking in broad daylight. They hurriedly made their way to Kakashi's vehicle, instantly recognizable due to the strange metallic plates mounted on the roof.

"What are those for?" Naruto asked.

"Solar panels—they should come in handy. We won't need to stop for gas as much." The worried group had almost made it to Kakashi's vehicle, when they heard a strange groaning sound. Kakashi pushed the automatic unlock button. "Run!" he advised. The group started sprinting, just as a figure emerged from several feet away behind a car. It appeared to be a young woman, but her clothing was bloodstained and large lacerations covered her upper arms and showed through her ripped pants. She was crouched like an animal, groaning in pain. Everyone kept running, but Iruka slowed. He _recognized_ her. She worked at the grocery store he shopped at frequently—he could even make out the remnants of her uniform now that he knew what he was looking for. The others didn't notice he had stopped, until doors were being flung open and one seat was left vacant.

"Shit!" Kakashi cursed, stabbing the keys into the ignition and screeching the tires as he reversed. He drove towards Iruka, the side door still held open by Naruto, hoping they would close the gap in time. Oblivious to their worry, Iruka took a hesitant step towards the girl.

"Are you okay?" he asked uselessly. The girl stood slightly, and for a moment she seemed to recognize him as well. "Can you understand me?" Iruka tried again. Kakashi had pulled up behind him.

"IRUKA, GET IN THE CAR!" he yelled. His voice snapped the girl out of her stupor, and she suddenly sprinted at Iruka full speed. Kakashi opened his door, not sure what he was planning on doing, but the action proved to be unnecessary. The seemingly harmless schoolteacher shifted his stance slightly, and then spun into a perfectly executed kick that sent the infected girl flying backwards. She was stunned when she stood, wobbling precariously as she tried to gather her wits to attack again. It was enough time, however, for both Iruka and Kakashi to get back inside the vehicle.

"Iruka-sensei, since when have you been a ninja?!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at his language teacher in awe. Iruka took a moment to glance behind him.

"Do you think I kicked her too hard?" he asked worriedly. Zabuza huffed in dry amusement.

"She got back up, didn't she? I hope you're not going to pull that friendly shit with everyone we come across, or you aren't going to live very long," Zabuza said darkly. Haku turned pleading eyes on the tall man, and his expression softened ever so slightly. He still offered no apology, though. Iruka finally tore his eyes away from the blood stained girl that was now hobbling after them woozily.

"I knew her. Don't presume to tell me how long I'll live, either. I've been a black-belt for years—I can handle myself just fine." There was a steely note in Iruka's voice that none of them had ever heard before. Iruka was upset, and he clearly meant business. Kakashi wanted to glance at him in the rear view mirror, but he was focused entirely on getting over to the football field, where Asuma's van was already waiting. A few more zombie-like attackers had joined the ranks of the girl, and were running after them like animals on a hunt.

"Someone's going to need to get the gate—we don't want to risk damaging one of the vehicles," Kakashi realized. For the second time that day, Iruka surprised the hell out of him.

"I can get it. I'm fast and I can protect myself," he stated calmly. Kakashi had barely rolled to a stop when, without any hesitation, Iruka flung his door open again and shut it soundly behind him, sprinting towards the gates. There was a chain wrapped around the poles, but thankfully no lock. Kakashi began to sweat as he watched the small swarm come nearer. Asuma honked his horn in warning as one came streaking by his car, unexpectedly, from the driver's side.

Kakashi watched wide-eyed as the lithe teacher nimbly pulled away the chain, swung it at his side a few times, and expertly let it fly at the attacker when he got too close. The man was knocked off course, and Iruka finished him off with another powerful running kick.

"Damn, he doesn't look it, but he's good," Zabuza commented, watching the scene play out as if it were a movie and not a man fighting for his life. His attacker felled for the moment, Iruka hastily pushed open the gate. Kakashi instantly surged the Excursion forward, and once again Iruka hopped safely inside. The small caravan drove quickly across the field, losing their pursuers behind them in the dust.

"Iruka, you've got to be more careful," Kakashi couldn't help saying, despite the fact that he was the one who had essentially sent him out into danger. He listened as Iruka caught his breath and took a moment to steady his nerves.

"The gate needed to be open, and it was either me or Officer Zabuza here. For some reason, he doesn't strike me as the type who's going to risk his life for us."

"Damn straight," Zabuza replied, "But you handled yourself just fine. Any chance you know how to shoot a gun?"

"I have my hand-gun license, and I've taken a few courses," Iruka replied.

"I'm starting to like you more and more. Maybe you _will_ make it out of this alive," Zabuza said, a small, devilish little smirk on his admittedly handsome face. Haku, from his spot beside Zabuza's on the backseat, acted as though the officer's attitude was normal. Still, he flashed Iruka a proud little smile.

"Okay, which way to your place, Momochi?" Kakashi asked, already disliking the rude officer.

"Hang a right, and then a left at the stop sign," Zabuza instructed. Kakashi followed the directions, taking care not to lose Asuma's van behind him, and soon they found themselves on a four lane road with only mild congestion, the one Kakashi had seen from the school window. It was also a road that could take them towards the mountains, but more and more cars were discovering the road and merging on. They needed to be quick at Zabuza's. Many people would lock themselves up in their homes, but just as many would try to drive out of the city.

A short ten minutes later they found themselves outside a crumbling building in what Kakashi knew to be one of the more dangerous parts of town.

"Haku, stay in the car. If something happens to me, you stay with him, you got that?" Zabuza said, nodding at Iruka. The serene boy merely nodded, and watched as Zabuza pushed his way past Gaara to get out the side door.

"One of you hop in the back so he doesn't have to crawl over the seat to get back in," Iruka ordered. Naruto obliged, nimbly crawling over to sit with Sakura and Haku. "He might need help carrying everything. Sasuke, take my spot and leave the front seat clear, alright? I'm going to help him."

"No, Iruka, I'll go. You're safe in the car," Kakashi protested. Iruka huffed dryly in amusement and gave him an almost patronizing smile in the rear view mirror.

"Why don't you help Asuma gas up the vehicles? You can honk if there's trouble, and we'll come back down to help you." Kakashi realized the power had shifted slightly between them—he may have understood what was going on, but Iruka and Zabuza were probably the only two in the group who had the skills and athleticism to survive it. For the first time, Kakashi wished he's spent less time with his beakers and flasks and more time at the gym. The man who road his bike everyday to work, however, seemed non-threatened by the idea of running up some flights of stairs and then possibly coming back down to fight off a horde of flesh-eating humans. Feeling a little emasculated, Kakashi followed Iruka's suggestion and drove his vehicle to the pump, while Asuma did the same on the other side.

"Hey, you don't need to look so worried, Mr. Hatake. I mean, even though you've tried to get all perverted on him, Iruka-sensei will still protect you. He'll take care of all of us," Naruto said, obviously trying to be encouraging. Sasuke, guessing the true reason for the tall scientist's discomfort, merely smirked. Without replying, Kakashi got out to start pumping the gas. Asuma was looking nervously at the roads, scanning for potential danger.

"I'm going to go inside and see if there is anyone to pay," Kakashi said, leaving the pump running. Asuma nodded.

"Kakashi, be careful. You got something you can use as a weapon?" he asked. Kakashi thought a moment, and then scanned the area around him. All he saw was the window washer resting in its little bucket. Of course, it would have to be the window washer. His boyfriend was slinging a chain around and pulling off ninja moves, but he would be the idiot carrying around a scrub brush.

It was better than nothing, he supposed. With a glum look, he took the make-shift weapon and headed for the station, leaving a trail of water droplets behind him. Inside the car, Sakura snorted.

"What's he going to do with that—bathe them?" she questioned. Sasuke shared her skepticism.

"I'm going to go inside, too. I don't think he'll be able to do much damage with that if he really gets attacked." Sakura's heart seemed to lodge in her throat, but she nodded wordlessly at Sasuke's bravery. She looked out her window to see Ino, staring back at her intensely, her big, pale eyes full of worry. Sakura tried to offer the girl a small smile of reassurance. They'd been good friends once, but stupid things had come between them and now Sakura realized how petty it had all been. A lot of things seemed petty now. Feeling some tears on her cheeks, she tried once again to dial her mother's phone, and then her father's. It was no good—this time she even got a message saying no calls were currently being connected. She prayed that they were okay, wherever they were.

Meanwhile, Iruka and Zabuza had made their way up two flights of stairs and were proceeding cautiously down the hall.

"What's your story, Umino? Not many civilians know how to fight and shoot a gun," Zabuza commented, if only so that walking down the poorly lit hallway didn't seem so intense.

"My parents were killed, mugged and beaten horribly over a stupid watch and some cash in my mother's purse. I was scared after that, and my adoptive family thought it might help the healing process to put me in Karate classes. As soon as I came here, I got my license for a hand-gun. I'm a little more cautious than most."

"It's paid off. If more people took care of their own asses like you do, my job wouldn't be nearly as difficult," Zabuza replied gruffly, as he pulled some keys out of his pocket and unlocked his apartment door.

"And what exactly _is _your job?" Iruka asked.

"I'm a police officer. Usually I work undercover. I took a bad injury a year ago and I got assigned to the school while I healed up. I was also supposed to keep my ears open about a guy that has a pretty big drug operation going—occasionally some of his employees sell to the high school kids."

"Just what exactly is your relationship with Haku?" Iruka asked protectively. The tall man smirked as his door swung open, revealing a shit hole apartment that looked like someone had attempted to make it nicer and failed horribly.

"My _relationship_ with Haku is illegal, if that's what you're asking," Zabuza replied challengingly. Iruka scowled, fuming with moral indignation.

"You know that by law teachers are required to report any suspicions they have about minors having...err..._relations_ with adults, right?" Iruka's tone was just as challenging, his eyes narrowed angrily. Zabuza laughed, closing the door behind Iruka and sliding one of many dead bolts into place.

"Who are you gonna report it to? I'm the only one I see around here wearing a badge, last time I checked," Zabuza replied patronizingly. Iruka's expression turned thunderous.

"This situation is going to sort itself out eventually, and I promise you—"

"Situation? Have you opened your _eyes_? People are going cannibal out there—ripping each other apart and hunting down their own neighbors and families. I'd say this is a little bigger than a _situation_. And Haku? The kid's got nobody. He was homeless all this past summer till I took him in and gave him my couch. I've seen a lot of shit in this city—shit that would make what happened to your parents look like they died peacefully in their sleep. I was very close to giving up on everything when he found me. Haku's the only thing I care about, and I'm going to keep him alive. When this _situation_ is over, if I'm gone, he's got nobody. If I lose him, _I've_ got nobody. What happens between us is 100% consensual, so you can mind your own damn business, alright?"

The two stared heatedly at each other for a few more seconds, but then Iruka backed off.

"If I find out you've been hurting him in _any_ way..."

"If I ever hurt him, I'd deserve whatever you could dish out. Now let's get the guns and get out of this hell-hole. We've left the others too long," Zabuza said. He proceeded into his bedroom, and then into his closet. He began passing Iruka several smaller gun cases the size of lunch boxes, and strapped three shotguns over his shoulder.

"Just how many weapons do you _own_?" Iruka asked, his eyes large.

"I'm a collector, of sorts. Here, take these," Zabuza dumped two huge boxes of ammunition onto Iruka's already impressively large armload. He draped another gun over his shoulder, a machine gun, if Iruka wasn't mistaken, and filled his own arms with box after box of ammunition.

"We might have trouble getting the flamethrower down the stairs," Iruka joked flatly. Zabuza emerged from the closet.

"Yeah, but it could come in handy. Nah, I'm going to leave it. It's harder than you might think to fire it."

"I was joking," Iruka replied, clearly surprised. Zabuza smirked.

"I wasn't. Now let's go." He slung all the guns over his broad back except for one shotgun, which he checked for bullets as they headed out the door. Their timing was perfect. Just as the began to descend the last flight of stares, a round of desperate honking assaulted their ears.

"That's the signal, let's go!" Iruka said, running as fast as he could down the remaining stairs and wishing he had his hands free should there be serious trouble outside. He thought of the kids, and of Kakashi, and ran faster anyway.

Zabuza skidded out behind him and they ran towards the car. Kakashi and Sasuke had backed out of the gas station, and only a window washing brush waved uselessly between the two men and at least three of the slobbering infected. Calmly, Zabuza hefted the shotgun up to his shoulder and took careful aim. A shot rang out, and despite Iruka's familiarity with guns, he jumped a little in surprise.

The zombie closest to Kakashi and Sasuke was propelled backwards, half his skull missing. Zabuza readied his weapon and took aim again—he now had the attention of the remaining two. His second shot also hit its mark, directly in fact, causing the head of the infected to explode dramatically like a watermelon impacting with cement.

The other one, deciding the prey in front of him was more tempting than the threat at a distance, surged forward. Kakashi pushed Sasuke behind him, and thrust the handle of the brush at the attacker.

"Damn it—he's in my shot now," Zabuza cursed, hurrying towards the conflict. Iruka's heart stopped beating as he dropped his load and ran towards Kakashi and his student.

His worry was unnecessary, because against all odds, the zombie like creature reeled back from Kakashi with an agonized howl of pain, the handle of the window washer planted firmly in his eye socket. Asuma came around before Iruka could get there, striking the staggering infected with a quick blow to the head, using his elbow and all the force he could muster. Zabuza relaxed somewhat, and picked up the items Iruka had abandoned.

The brunet raced towards Kakashi, quickly assessing for himself if the taller man was okay.

"Are you hurt?" he asked frantically. Kakashi gave him a shaky smile and pulled him into the circle of his arms. He let out a big sigh of relief as his chin rested on Iruka's soft hair.

"I'm okay. Better now that you're here. Come on, we've got the fuel so let's go."

"Before we do that, let's grab what we can from the gas station. You didn't anticipate bringing this many people with you. We're going to need more food."

"Jesus, were you planning a one man revolution or something?" Asuma asked, when he saw Zabuza approach looking like a hunting store had puked on him. Naruto helpfully pushed the button to open the back of Kakashi's vehicle, and Zabuza dumped his load. He set about readying some handguns.

"Can you shoot?" he asked Asuma.

"I've been hunting before. I'll be handier with the shotgun," he replied. Nodding, Zabuza loaded one of the long guns and passed it to Asuma. He also handed him a box of shells. Zabuza nodded at Sasuke.

"Get your dumb blond friend and go get food," he ordered. Sasuke, not bothering to correct Zabuza's statement about Naruto, knocked on the window and waved for Naruto. From the van, another two boys jumped out that had been fairly quiet up until that point. Sasuke vaguely knew their names were Kiba and Shino, but he didn't know them very well.

"Are we getting supplies?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah—the cop says to loot it." Sasuke remarked wryly. Zabuza ignored the statement, and passed a handgun to Iruka. The teacher made sure the safety was on, and then tucked it into his belt. Behind them, Asuma had readied the shotgun and taken aim. He squeezed the trigger and the infected man (who had still been twitching and writhing on the pavement) arched away from the bullet that struck him in the leg.

"My aim is rusty," Asuma concluded. He tried again, this time hitting the man in the neck.

"Asuma, stop it!" Kurenai pleaded from the front seat of the van. Large tears trailed down her pale skin. Asuma cursed under his breath and crossed back over to his vehicle, apologizing for upsetting her. Overcoming his scare, Kakashi followed after Iruka and the boys to go gather more supplies. They looted until the back of Kakashi's Excursion and Asuma's van were full. Kakashi, in a stroke of brilliance, also pried the big sheets of plywood from behind a broken window and slid them along one side of the Excursion.

"We might lose a window, and those will help in a pinch," he said. Iruka offered him a smile.

"It's a good idea...and Kakashi? You were amazing with the window washer," Iruka praised, the tiniest of blushes turning his cheeks pink. Kakashi returned the smile, feeling a little guilty for his earlier thoughts of inferiority. Iruka didn't think any less of him for not being a brawny, muscle-bound hero.

"These will be useful to, since the phones are out," Sasuke interjected, holding up two heavy-duty radios he'd just removed from their packaging. He took a moment to situate the batteries and play with the knobs. After some crackling static, he pressed the button on one and his voice came out the other. He passed it to Asuma, who handed it to Kurenai.

With the vehicles fully hydrated and the radios set up, they were ready to set out.

A/N: And we're off! Thanks for the reviews—I love that I'm not the only zombie film fanatic out there. I've got good things planned for this story. That's the nice thing about following the zombie movie code; the story practically outlined itself. Expect all the usual thrills and brain spills, and I'll try extra hard to keep is suspenseful in written form. This is my first attempt at horror, so let me know how I'm doing, okay?


	3. And Of Course You'll Have Car Problems

**Chapter 3**

"_**And of Course You'll Have Car Problems"**_

The radio crackled with static and Kakashi's voice was heard inside the mini-van. The three in the back, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata, all leaned forward to better hear.

"So tell us what you know about this, Kakashi," Asuma prompted. He released the button, and his question was punctuated by the crackle of static.

"_I used to work for a research facility that wasn't exactly by the book. I was eager to make a name for myself straight out of school and jumped at the large funds they offered. The work I did was applied without my knowledge to creating different strains of bio-warfare, sold to the highest bidder on the black market. One was Serum 3X4. Human rabies. I realized it was dangerous, but I told myself it was experimentation to benefit soldiers—an altered version of Serum 3X4 could have created the mentality of the perfect soldier. No fear, no reaction to pain, and intensified aggression." _The blip of static told them the story was over. Asuma breathed in deep, somehow not surprised by the knowledge his long time friend had a shady past. He pressed his button on the radio.

"They had no intention of altering the serum to make it safer, did they? Terrorists have bought it now and released it into the city," Asuma concluded. Kakashi's voice was quick to reply.

"_It's possible terrorists are behind it, very possible, but it's more likely that it was an accident. Akatsuki Incorporated was less than diligent when it came to tying up loose ends. I managed to get out, so it's likely others did, too. Not all procedures were followed correctly—waste products weren't always handled like they should have been. All signs that I was too young and stupid to notice." _Kakashi's voice was heavy with regret, but Asuma couldn't help but feel irritated with him. Sure, all young people make mistakes, but not many of those mistakes result in zombies overrunning the world. He glanced at Kurenai, who's eyes were still full of fear, her hands wrapped around their baby.

"Kakashi, can this be stopped? Is there a cure?"Asuma asked. Everyone in the van held their breath—not a single sound was made. The radio crackled with static.

"_I don't know. I doubt they'll risk letting it spread. If it comes down to it, they'll wipe out the whole city,"_ Kakashi replied. Kurenai reached over to rest her small, pale hand on Asuma's tensed forearm. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. Around them, there was a fairly fast flow of traffic, though they couldn't assume that would last. At any moment they could hit congestion, and then they'd be sitting ducks if the city was destroyed.

"We should get off the main road. The chances of our survival are better if we go through the small towns along the feeder. Once the vehicle is stuck in traffic, there's no getting out," Shikamaru said calmly, his eyes narrowed as he puzzled over the problem in his head. Asuma glanced at the brilliant kid in his backseat and realized he was right.

"Kakashi, we should move to the feeder. If this road jams up then we're done for," Asuma reasoned. There was a long pause before they received a response. Kakashi began to move his vehicle over to the exit lane, and Asuma followed suit.

"_You've got a better head for strategy than I do. We'll move to the feeder,"_ Kakashi replied. Asuma could still hear conversation in the background—obviously the plan had some naysayers.

"Shikamaru, won't there be more infected people on the feeder roads? We're going fast now, and we aren't being attacked," Ino said, clearly terrified of the idea to drive back into the throngs of infected. 

"His logic is sound. We will have more room to maneuver off the highway," Shino said quietly, hardly moving in the backseat. Choji wrapped his arm around Ino's shoulders reassuringly.

"It'll be okay, Ino. We're safe in the car," Choji said quietly. Most of the passengers in the car recognized this for the complete bullshit that it was—there was no such thing as safe anymore. Other cars sped past them as they slowly exited, immediately exposing themselves to signs of the carnage and mayhem again.

Kakashi's vehicle, still in the lead, increased speed and sent one infected flying as he bounced off the front of the car. Feeling the pressure, Asuma pressed down on the gas petal, watching his windows anxiously as the infected spilled out from below the underpass, running doggedly after the two vehicles.

Asuma was so focused on the road that he didn't notice when Shikamaru leaned forward to grab the radio. He jabbed the button, his voice strained.

"They shouldn't be able to smell us inside the vehicles—they shouldn't even associate a moving vehicle with a meal. Just how intelligent _are_ these people now?" Shikamaru asked. Kakashi, probably focusing on the road just as intently as Asuma, didn't immediately reply. A large swarm poured out of a neighborhood entrance, as if they'd been lying in wait. Shikamaru began to doubt his plan when he saw the empty cars left running up ahead, five or six of them waiting for drivers who would never return. Kakashi was hitting more and more of them now, and some were bouncing back to smack against the windows of Asuma's vehicle. Ino and Hinata couldn't help but scream at each impact, until both girls covered their eyes, no longer able to watch the gore smeared predators pressing in on them.

Asuma's vehicle was rocked to one side as somehow one of them got underneath and caused a tire to blow in the back. In the backseat, Kiba turned wildly to see how close they were being pursued. The mob from the underpass was a good ways off, hardly visible anymore, but the neighborhood welcoming committee was about twenty strong and very determined to get in, already swarming completely over the vehicle.

"Fucking hell!" Asuma cursed, as he cracked his window enough to stick out the tip of the shotgun. He began to fire, picking them off one after another. After the shots, a few staggered away from the group, crouched low and waiting. Most continued to press in on them, dully smacking bloodied hands against the windows. Kiba took a gun from the back and fumbled with it for a few moments, trying to remember everything he'd ever seen on television about handguns, before cracking the back window and pulling the trigger. The gun discharged successfully and in rapid fire, six of the ravenous infected were no more. On the other side of Hinata, Shino followed Kiba's lead and unloaded four shots through his window.

More shooting filled the air, and Kurenai saw through the shifting bodies that Kakashi's vehicle had pulled back around, and both Zabuza and Iruka were taking careful aim at the zombies not directly against the van. Hinata turned in her seat, pale blue eyes trying to look past the grisly attackers to see if more were still coming. Kiba shot another one and when he dropped, she could see that the underpass zombies were finally catching up. Soon they would be completely overwhelmed.

Shikamaru broke her line of vision as he jumped over her in his haste to grab guns from the back. He handed one to Choji, and pretty soon all the hand guns were being used to eliminate their immediate attackers, though it was only the close proximity of the attackers that let the inexperienced teens actually hit anything. Bullets were flying like the final shoot out in an old western movie.

"We have to kill them all and get into a new vehicle before the others come!" Shikamaru shouted, over the frequent screams of Ino and the peppering of fired bullets. Asuma, who had begun shooting first, cleared the front of the van and hesitated only a moment before he threw his door open. He took aim at one straggler still around the back, but only managed to blow off his arm. He let loose an inhuman scream of rage and came tearing at Asuma, blood spurting out of his arm like a geyser. Asuma's mind went completely blank and he panicked, realizing he didn't have any shells left. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but Kurenai propelled herself out the driver's side, pushing him out of the way as the infected ripped through the space between them. With Asuma on the ground, the infected opened himself up to Zabuza, who cleanly and efficiently picked him off.

"Come on kids—run to another car!" Kurenai instructed, scrambling out onto the road as best she could in her condition, and helping her frozen husband to his feet. He blinked rapidly, his breathing harsh. "Asuma, we've got to run!" Kurenai pleaded, tugging on his arm. He shook his head as if clearing away a mental fog and half-way nodded, stumbling after her towards one of the abandoned vehicles. They were slow to make the transfer. Kiba, Hinata, and Shino all had to struggle to get out of the back seat past Ino, who was petrified in Choji's arms, whimpering and frozen.

"MOVE IT, BITCH!" Kiba roared, pushing past her roughly. The shouting seemed to do what Choji's desperate pleading did not; Ino's eyes snapped open and with harsh, labored breathing she flung herself out of the car and after her teachers. Shikamaru had already spilled out, but he went back to Asuma's seat to grab the radio. Choji was the last one out, huffing and puffing as he sprinted to the nearest four door car. They all piled in somehow, though Hinata ended up squished underneath the weight of Choji, who barely fit into the jam-packed back seat. Asuma helped the kids to close a door, and then he slid into the driver's seat and slammed his foot on the gas petal. The car shuddered and made a backfiring noise, but it launched forward and quickly gained speed.

The zombies from the underpass overtook the mini-van seconds later, swarming around it like ants attacking spilled sugar. The immediate danger over, the kids in the back began to squirm into a more comfortable position, ultimately situating themselves with Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and Choji crammed on the seat with Hinata in Kiba's lap and Ino sitting backwards between the two front seats, twisted awkwardly to the side. They were all breathing raggedly, trembling, eyes wide with terror. Over the radio, Iruka's voice was desperate.

"_Is everyone okay?! Is anybody hurt?!"_

Still looking completely shocked, Shikamaru shakily rose the radio to his face.

"We made it," Shikamaru replied. Asuma worriedly noted that the gas tank of their new vehicle was almost empty.

"We're going to run out of fuel soon," Asuma said. Any further discussion on the topic was interrupted by the screeching halt of Kakashi's vehicle just slightly ahead of them. Asuma stopped further on, eyes wide as he realized what was happening. Above them, the highway traffic had come to a complete stop, and people were jumping out of the cars and off of the highway to avoid being eaten by the swarm steadily moving down the lines of cars, persistently banging until glass yielded and the victims were dragged out screaming. The jumper had splattered sickeningly just in front of Kakashi's vehicle. Recovering from the shock, Kakashi reversed and drove around, watching along with the others as behind them, people jumped to their deaths to avoid being eaten on the highway.

The radio crackled.

"_Looks like you made the right call,"_ The gruff voice of Zabuza stated simply. Shikamaru swallowed thickly, the sweat beaded at his temple finally slipping down over his pale face. They had survived potential destruction, but for how long? How long could they possibly survive?

Shikamaru wished his brain wasn't racing through the depressing statistics, but there was no denying his own frenzied mental calculations. The odds were not in their favor, and Shikamaru wasn't feeling very lucky. Wordlessly, he passed the radio to Ino, who gave it to Kurenai.

"You're bleeding!" she gasped. All eyes turned to Kurenai, and the vehicle swerved.

"It's only a small scratch. I snagged my arm on the door," Kurenai said quickly, pressing part of her shirt to the jagged little wound.

"Are you sure, Kurenai? You jumped in front of—" Asuma was quickly cut off.

"I'm sure, Asuma. Focus on the road. More people are jumping," Kurenai said forcefully. Her steely words were true, three more bodies came flying down from the elevated highway, impacting dully with the ground behind them.

"_We're going to pull into a neighborhood that looks calm. We can find another vehicle for you there,"_ Kakashi's voice crackled over the radio. Most of the zombies in the area were busy feasting on the stranded highway passengers, and the ones in the nearby neighborhood were now happily occupied blocking the frantic drivers behind them (trying in vain to escape the highway hell via the exit ramps, already clogged.) It was probably the best chance they would have.

Kakashi drove only a few more miles further, and then turned into a innocent looking neighborhood, where a stucco and brick signed welcomed them to Shady Crest. The two-car parade moved silent as death through the utterly still neighborhood. Most driveways were empty, suggesting the owners were currently being eaten on the highway. Finally, Kakashi rolled to a stop in front of a pleasant looking suburban home with a black Excursion parked in front, similar to his own but lacking the solar panels. The front door of the house was open, swaying eerily to and fro as the wind blew.

Kakashi took the radio from Zabuza. "What do you think, Asuma?" he asked.

"_We'll need to go in for the keys,"_ Asuma replied quickly. The open door was troubling, though. Did it mean the home owner had rushed out so quickly they'd forgotten to shut it, or that the owners were inside, roving from room to room aimlessly and contemplating snacking on the contents of their fish tank? Wanting to act before Iruka selflessly volunteered himself again (Kakashi was partly guilty for this whole situation, after all) the silver-headed man quickly grabbed a handgun resting in the console and got out, tossing the radio in the seat behind him.

"Kakashi, wait!" Iruka yelled, to no avail. The brown-haired man had no choice but to scramble out of his seat, hurrying with his own weapon after the science teacher. He grabbed his arm, roughly stopping him. "The safety is still on!" Iruka scolded, brown eyes huge with worry. Kakashi's burst of heroism popped like a bathtub bubble. He watched almost glumly as Iruka righted his weapon. Back in the Excursion, Haku leaned forward, speaking quietly into Zabuza's ear.

"Please go help, Iruka-sensei. He's my friend," Haku said. The gruff police officer sighed as if he expected the plea, but nodded once and got out. He followed after the two teachers into the house. In the small foyer, all three men stood tense, straining their ears to hear any sound.

"Maybe it really is abandoned," Kakashi said quietly. Making it look highly routine, Zabuza elbowed past them and held his handgun at the ready, sliding up to doorways smoothly and checking the interior before ducking into the left hallway. Kakashi wished to imitate him, but the gun felt heavy and clammy in his hands. He advanced nervously, breathing a bit labored, frightened of his own shadow.

"I know it's hard, but try to relax, Kakashi. I don't think anyone's here," Iruka said, eyes scanning all around as he, too, advanced into the living room. The kitchen was equally empty. "Do you see the keys?" Iruka gently reminded. Sure enough, Kakashi had been so focused on spotting a would-be attacker that he'd forgotten to look for what they came for. Almost sheepishly, he glanced over the kitchen counter tops.

"I don't see any. We might have to check the bedrooms," Kakashi said.

"It would be a good idea to secure the house, so that the kids can use the restroom and we can try to get a news feed," Iruka said. He obviously used the words to buoy his courage, as he picked up his pace and moved towards the stairs. Kakashi hurried to follow, nearly tripping over his own feet he was so nervous. It was the middle of the day, but something about the house made every warning alarm scream in Kakashi's brain. Every horror movie he'd ever watched as a kid was coming back to bite him in the ass. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood erect, and he wished desperately for the ability to see out the back of his head.

By the time they made it up the stairs and Iruka pushed open the first door, Kakashi was so on edge that he fired a shot accidentally. It lodged in the floor, caused Iruka to jump, and startled the infected teenage boy that came groaning and moaning out of his bedroom. Iruka shot off a round, missed, and managed to get the boy in the temple just as he was about to be attacked. He dodged nimbly to the side and the boy crashed to the ground, parts of his brain splattered on the wall behind him.

"Shit! Iruka, I'm sorry!" Kakashi said, throwing the gun away and awkwardly rising to his feet again. Iruka remained armed, his posture alert and his focus narrowed. Ignoring Kakashi's small break-down for the moment, he proceeded down the hall and kicked open a door, gun at the ready.

A peaceful nursery lay on the other side of the door, painted in yellow and missing only a mother and baby. Iruka released the breath he'd been holding. The last door, leading to a bathroom, was equally unsurprising.

"I found the keys, and the first floor's clear!" Zabuza's voice yelled from below. After a moment's pause he added, "You guys still alive?" Iruka nodded to himself, shouting back in reply.

"The second floor is clear—there was a teenager," Iruka called. Iruka was about to turn his back on the bathroom when his eyes narrowed suddenly in suspicion. In the dim light of the bathroom, the shower curtain hung ominously solid. Iruka felt his breath catch in his throat, thinking of all the times he'd had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night as a child, and he'd always feared someone was standing in the shower, waiting and watching, a silent predator. Not giving himself time to let his old, childhood fear overwhelm him, Iruka stalked forward and jerked aside the shower curtain.

There was no zombie awaiting him on the other side, and Iruka left the bathroom satisfied the house was safe. He paused as he walked past the boy, obviously pained by the sight. Kakashi came towards him, hesitantly reaching out his hand. Iruka took it, gratefully leaning into the taller man's side as he observed the carnage.

"He was somebody's student—somebody's child," Iruka said. "What if the parents come back for the vehicle and...and..."

"I'll move him into the bathtub and wrap him up in the shower curtain. Why don't you go get the others?" Kakashi offered, finally recovering himself a bit. Iruka nodded against his chest and then went hastily down the stairs. Time was still of the essence, after all. Kakashi sighed as he looked down at the boy. This would give him the chance to examine a specimen, but he had to be careful not to make any contact with the teen's body fluids. Kakashi fetched the shower curtain and some rubber cleaning gloves he found underneath the sink, untroubled by the gruesome task of collecting data off the infected. At least that was something he could do without fear. The realization didn't escape him that Iruka was more frightened of the dead bodies than of the infected attackers. Despite his ability to protect himself, it was obvious to Kakashi that the man who'd stolen his heart was truly a kind person by nature. While Kakashi had thought only of survival and information to be gleaned, Iruka had thought of what the boy's parents might think to come home and find their son in such a position.

It was a little humbling to Kakashi, that such an amazing man could have any interest in him. As Kakashi squatted down by the teenager, seeing for the first time up-close and unhurried the results of the research he'd done all those years ago, a realization settled in Kakashi's heart and promptly sunk the vulnerable organ down to a new low: someone like him didn't deserve someone as good as Iruka.

Downstairs, the small group of students and the married teachers made their way into the house, after parking Kakashi's vehicle up closer to the door. They were a pitiful group. Sweaty and disheveled, they already had the flat look of trauma in their young eyes. Without asking, Sakura reached for Sasuke's arm and held onto him tightly as they cautiously moved towards the kitchen, seeking a little bit of water. Naruto and Gaara followed Haku towards the downstairs bathroom, where Zabuza was standing protectively.

"Go on, Haku. The house is clear," Zabuza reassured. Haku offered the muscular man a small smile of gratitude and affection before he slipped into the bathroom. Naruto and Gaara waited silently at first, but then Naruto leaned over to make eye-contact with the Egyptian.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. Gaara briefly shook his head 'no.' Naruto let out a gentle sigh and wordlessly wrapped his arms around the stiff boy. "It's gonna be okay, Gaara. I bet you really wish you were home right now, huh?" Naruto asked. Miserably, Gaara suddenly latched onto Naruto tightly and nodded against his shoulder. Haku emerged from the bathroom, and Zabuza gave a brief glance to the boys before going in himself.

"I'll just go, since you two are busy with your moment," he quipped sarcastically before shutting the door. Despite the teasing, Gaara did not relinquish his hold on Naruto.

"I don't want to die here," he mumbled, his words a little hard to understand. Naruto, however, got the gist of it.

"You won't. I'll protect you! We can look out for each other, okay?" Naruto asked, cupping his friend's shoulders in his hands and looking earnestly into Gaara's exotic eyes. "Everything's going to be fine," he asserted once more, even managing a smile. Gaara didn't over-think what he wanted to do next, he merely leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to Naruto's. Nearby, Haku let out a soft laugh that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.

"Cute!" he commented, before purposefully wandering into the kitchen to join the others. Naruto blinked hugely at Gaara, the lightest of blushes dusting over his cheeks.

"W-what was that for?" he asked, sounding adorably confused and flustered at the same time. Gaara's expression was somber.

"A first kiss, for both of us. Just in case," Gaara explained. The end of his statement, the 'we die' part, was left unsaid. Naruto gave Gaara a small, sweet smile and pulled the boy in for another hug. Zabuza exited the restroom, and Naruto gently released Gaara.

"Go on," he said, some of his boyishness returning to his expression, "but hurry—I really gotta pee!"

With a small smile of his own, Gaara slipped into the bathroom, pleased with himself.

Haku, still standing slightly apart from the other teenagers and Iruka, found the television remote amidst the couch cushions and turned it on. Zabuza came up behind him, and Haku leaned into his casual embrace. Both of them worriedly watched the news report. The others gathered around, a few of them sipping water or eating what they'd found in the fridge.

"_We have now confirmed that a biological weapon has been unleashed in Los Angeles, resulting in mass hysteria and horrifying acts of violence. We have not yet heard from the President on this tragic development, though we can expect word from the White House any moment now..."_ The solemn anchor woman's face was replaced with footage of the nightmare. Haku turned away, burying his face in Zabuza's chest. The taller man threaded his fingers through Zabuza's long hair, petting him as if he were a frightened animal.

"There's another bathroom down the hall. Use it if you're going to—we can't linger here much longer," Zabuza said. From the top of the stairs, where Kurenai and Asuma had joined Kakashi, Kurenai called for Hinata.

"Can you come up here for a moment?" the pretty teacher asked, voice soft. Behind her, Asuma and Kakashi were laboring to get the teenager's body into the bathroom.

"Yes, I'm coming," Hinata said, quickly detaching herself from Kiba's arm and hurrying up the stairs. Kiba watched her go worriedly, his sharp eyes narrowing on his favorite teacher. The question nagged at him—had she really just been scratched by the door? He wanted to believe her so badly, it was hard to contemplate anything else.

Kakashi and Asuma continued their discussion about the body.

"From what I can tell, you've got about six hours once you exchange body fluids. As long as the brain remains intact, no matter how damaged the body is, the infected will turn and begin to hunt. This isn't some cheesy horror movie, though. The body can't go on under such conditions for long. At some point, the brain will shut-down naturally. I imagine the more extensive the wounds, the faster that will happen," Kakashi summarized, finally lowering the swaddled corpse into the bathtub. At the end of the hall, Kurenai watched them intensely until Hinata joined her. Kurenai gave the soft-spoken girl a strained smile.

"Come see what I found," she said quietly. Hinata followed the woman into the nursery. She reached for her teacher's hand, realizing that such a sight must be hard for the woman to see.

"It's beautiful, Ms. Sarutobi," Hinata said meekly. "Does it look anything like the nursery you had planned?"

"Not really. Asuma and I chose green for the walls, and white furniture, but this is nice, don't you think?" she asked, sounding very far away. Hinata held her hand more tightly, staring up at her teacher worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked.

"Hinata, you and Kiba and Shino are an unlikely trio of friends, but you've all three come to mean a lot to me this past year. I had hoped...I had hoped very much that if I had a daughter, she would be as kind and gentle as you are. If I had a son, I wanted him to be smart like Shino, and brave like Kiba."

"You will have a baby! I know it seems hopeless, but please don't give up hope yet!" Hinata implored. Kurenai glanced down at her, affectionately running her fingers through Hinata's short, dark hair.

"I haven't given up hope. Promise me you won't either, okay?" she said. Blinking back tears, Hinata agreed. "Hinata, if something should happen to me, can you do something for me?" Kurenai asked. The wide-eyed girl at her side nodded seriously, intently focused on her teacher.

"Anything I can," she promised in a small voice. Kurenai favored her with a shaky smile.

"Tell Asuma he was the love of my life, and that I..._we_...will wait for him on the other side. Tell him to be strong and help you stay safe. I want you to survive this, Hinata. You have such a bright future ahead of you." Blinking back tears, the meek girl nodded.

"Thank you. I promise, I'll tell him. But it won't come to that!" she insisted. Kurenai's gaze drifted to the baby crib, and her hand slowly left Hinata's hair and settled on her extended belly.

"No, it won't come to that. Go use the restroom and eat something now. I'll be along in a moment," she said. Nodding, Hinata slowly left the bedroom, lingering only a second in the doorway. As she exited, her eyes met Asuma's. He was coming down the hallway, Kakashi at his heels, and then the shot made them all freeze.

Between the two of them, they somehow knew. They'd all known really. She hadn't hurt her arm on the door—the infected had wounded her with his bloody nails. Hinata watched realization dawn in Asuma's eyes as he watched it dawn in hers. Downstairs, there was a flurry of activity, and the others rushed up the stairs, but all the sound fell away and it was just Asuma and Hinata, knowing together that she was gone.

~*~

A/N: So, we have the first casualty of zombie war. Well, Kurenai actually counts as 1 casualty and a half. You guys should have seen this one coming—pregnant chicks never survive zombie movies. If you're pregnant, and you start hearing zombie invasion reports on the news, take a page out of Kurenai's book and end it now, 'cause if you don't, you run the risk of A) giving birth to a zombie baby or B) becoming a zombie, ripping out your own child, and eating it. Trust me folks, this sort of thing happens all the time.

As usual, thank-you to my reviewers! As a reward for reviewing, I give you all zombie powers for the day. What can your zombie powers do, you ask? Well, you can drool on yourself, for starters, and if you eat human flesh within the next six hours, it'll taste like pizza and candy! Yum! Just don't eat each other, 'cause that means less reviews for me.


	4. You'll Have to Stop Somewhere Creepy

**Chapter Four:**

_**You'll Have to Stop in the Worst of Places**_

"This is your fault! You ran your damn mouth, saying she only had six hours to live! Causing all this mess to start with and not reporting it, afraid for your own ass! I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Asuma roared, emerging from the nursery and charging towards Kakashi like a caged animal finally released. Kakashi stumbled backwards, eyes widened in surprise and grief. Iruka, hurrying up the stairs and around the teens blocking his way, tried to get into between the two men, but it was Hinata that flung herself in front of the math teacher, pushing against Asuma's chest with her small hands.

"Stop! Please stop!" Hinata begged. Asuma did not lower the gun that he had shakily pointed at Kakashi's chest, the same weapon with which Kurenai had cleanly committed suicide seconds earlier, taking her unborn child with her, just weeks before her due date. Undeterred, Hinata pressed on. "She said...she said...that she would w-w-wait for you," Hinata forced out, "That she and the baby would wait for you, b-b-because you were the love of her life! And...and...she said to be strong...and she wanted you to p-p-protect me...all of us!" Hinata said, finally breaking down into sobs. Her tiny fists clenching brokenly, she slid to the floor in front of Asuma, fat tears gliding down her cheeks.

The gruff man licked his lips, trying to ignore the tears slipping down into his beard. Kakashi could not meet his friend's eyes, overcome with guilt and shame, and looked to the ground instead.

"I deserve it," Kakashi said quietly, "I'm so sorry, Asuma." The broken apology was painfully sincere. Asuma wiped quickly at his eyes, hands trembling. He lowered the gun with visible effort, walking to a nearby window and pressing his face against the wall, gun falling limply from his fingers. He made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a sob, the most anguished noise any of them had ever heard a human being make.

The moment was tense, but Iruka gently pushed his way past Sasuke to go to Kakashi's side. He kissed the broken man's temple chastely, and then pulled him up to his feet with some effort. "Come on, Kakashi, let's go downstairs and give him some time," Iruka said softly. Kakashi let himself be led, and soon he was sitting in the kitchen with a glass of water pressed into his hands. "Drink, and then go to the restroom. We need to move out soon, and I need you to come back to me and focus. I know you feel horrible right now, but the best thing you can do is to stay with us—help these children stay alive, Kakashi. Please," Iruka begged.

Kakashi nodded stiffly, his eyes turning steely. He took a fast swig of the water and then slammed down the glass harshly, stalking off to the bathroom. Slowly, like a funeral procession, the others came back downstairs and those that had not already done so quickly used the restroom. Asuma remained upstairs for a long time, no doubt wrapping Kurenai up and saying his goodbyes. Iruka watched the news, but the broadcast offered no new information. Finally, Asuma came down the stairs. He went straight to Hinata, and wrapped his arms around her.

"She wanted a daughter like you—told me so all the time. I'm going to get you through this, I swear to God I am," Asuma promised, voice cracking under the insistent words. Kiba stepped to Hinata's side, gently reaching for her. Asuma relinquished her from the hug that had been just a little too tight, and went into the bathroom where they heard the sound of running water for a few moments before he emerged again.

They were as ready as they would ever be.

Due to the tension between Kakashi and Asuma now, Zabuza thought things would run more smoothly if he took over driving the second vehicle and thus the job of communicating with Kakashi. Without protesting, Asuma climbed into the back with Hinata and Kiba, making sure the slender girl was safely situated between them. Zabuza gestured wordlessly for Haku to take the front seat next to himself, while Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji took the middle seat. Zabuza picked up the radio, backing out first so that Kakashi could lead once again.

"The kid asked a good question earlier. How smart are these things?" Zabuza asked. The was a long pause and then Kakashi's voice replied, sounding subdued.

"_It varies. I'd estimate that roughly 90% degrade into complete animalistic rage, with little to no reasoning skills, but 10%...they'll still have some semblance of human intelligence. At least, that's what the lab tests showed with the mice. Only a few of them could still reason their way through a maze after being infected, while the majority would run into the walls in the direction their noses were telling them food existed." _Kakashi replied, his tone heavy and sad.

"So some of these aren't just hunting—they're laying traps," Zabuza summarized.

"_Affirmative."_

"That's...troublesome," Shikamaru said in the silence that followed. Ino, leaning tiredly against Choji's shoulder, watched as they pulled back out of the neighborhood and drove down the quiet feeder road. All the trouble seemed to be behind them, where they could still hear car alarms wailing in a growing cacophony of anguish.

"When it gets dark, we won't be able to see them coming for us," she said. In the back seat, Kiba snorted in annoyance.

"If you don't have anything helpful to say, keep your mouth shut. You're just scaring everyone," Kiba accused. Choji turned around in his seat, a fierce scowl on his face.

"Don't talk to her like that," he ordered. Kiba glared back challengingly.

"I don't get why you're so protective. I didn't see her stop and wait for you when we had to change cars. She only cares about herself, and she hasn't stopped crying and whining since this whole mess started!" Kiba retorted. Ino, angry now, lashed out at Kiba and Hinata began to cry. This upset Asuma, who yelled at all of the squabbling teenagers.

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Asuma roared.

Silence fell, but it was an uneasy truce at best.

Things were slightly less tense in the other vehicle, though Kakashi looked like he was trapped in a personal hell worse than the one that had descended around them. From his spot in the front seat, Iruka reached over and squeezed the taller man's shoulder, trying to offer what comfort he could. The passengers in the back watched with some surprise when Kakashi shrugged off Iurka's hand. Iruka gave him a long look, but didn't attempt to touch him again. He turned to stare out the window, his body language tired and sad.

Naruto quietly reached for Gaara's hand, enveloping it in his own. The red-head squeezed back, leaning against his side. Sakura pressed buttons uselessly on her phone, trying repeatedly to send a text message to her parents. Noticing, Sasuke winced in sympathy.

"They might be okay. Don't assume the worst," Sasuke said softly. Sakura smiled thinly at him, her eyes watering. Her fingers toyed with the little charm dangling from her phone. She leaned a little closer to Sasuke, wishing he would hold her. Sasuke, however, had never been a nurturing sort of person and merely sat stiffly at her side, unaware of what she wanted from him. The drive stretched on. Iruka turned on the radio at one point, heard only static, and just as swiftly turned it off.

They came to the turn-off and Kakashi gratefully veered away from the highway and into the hilly country-side. The sun was beginning to set, and Kakashi worriedly realized they would not be able to make it to the cabin before they lost light; they still had a solid five hours of driving ahead of them, and Kakashi had extreme doubts about continuing on in darkness.

"Are we going to stop somewhere for the night?" Sakura asked. Kakashi's gut said to just keep driving, but he knew this wasn't necessarily the safest option. They only had three people that could drive a vehicle, and two of those were valuable marksmen. If they let themselves get too exhausted, they would start making mistakes in judgment. Kakashi also reasoned they were far enough outside of town that they wouldn't be hit by the government's potential attempts to destroy Los Angeles, either by gas or explosion.

"We'll be passing quite a few farm houses. It might be a good idea to stop at one for the night," Kakashi said. Sakura nodded agreeably, as she knew both options were equally dangerous. A few hours later, when Zabuza's car radioed to ask the same question, Kakashi's suggestion to stop was debated briefly but ultimately accepted. Shikamaru reminded everyone that getting some sleep and taking turns keeping watch would be the smartest option.

"Why don't we just pull over to the side of the road and sleep in the car? I mean, haven't you guys ever watched a horror film before? Going up to some creepy house in the middle of nowhere never works out," Naruto reminded. It was obvious he'd been thinking about it. Kakashi sighed.

"This isn't a horror movie, Naruto. I'm sure the home's owners will either let us clean up a bit and sleep on their floor or tell us no. It's not that big of a deal," Kakashi said. Naruto pouted slightly, but he figured Kakashi's assessment that he was being too paranoid was probably right. Besides, he didn't want Gaara to think he was a coward. The sun sank all too quickly for Naruto, though, and soon Kakashi was rolling down the drive of a fairly large farmhouse that looked well kept.

"Should we take guns?" Iruka asked, speaking to Kakashi for the first time since he'd been shrugged away.

"Concealed ones, most definitely," Kakashi replied. Any further attempts at strategy were impossible, however, as a petite young man emerged onto the porch, the light from the headlights reflecting off his glasses. His silvery hair was tied back in a low ponytail. He didn't hold any weaponry. Instead, he had a small smile on his average-looking face.

"I'll talk to him," Kakashi said, unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door. The others stayed put, though Iruka wanted to follow after him. After a moment of hesitation, he did so. As he approached the porch, the man was already talking to Kakashi in a smooth, almost clinical sounding tone.

"Refugees from the city? My employer will be very interested to meet you. I'm afraid he is very ill. He comes out here to benefit from the fresh air of the country. Please, do come in. You are welcome here." Kakashi and Iruka's eyes met, wary, but with no reason to refuse the cordial invitation beyond a vague, tingling feeling of paranoia. Iruka turned to the cars and waved. The others began to gratefully pile out. It had been a long, nightmarish day.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, and this is Iruka Umino," Kakashi introduced, as the young man merely kept smiling.

"I'm Kabuto. My employer is named Orochimaru."

"You said he's sick—what kind of sick?" Kakashi asked, eyes narrowed. Kabuto's smile never wavered, and it was beginning to annoy Iruka.

"Oh, it has nothing to do with what's going on in the city. He's had health problems for many years—a cancer patient. It is not contagious, I assure you."

"I apologize if that seemed rude. We're grateful for your hospitality, we truly are, but we've seen some very horrible sickness today. None of us are carrying the illness, though. You have to be bitten or scratched," Iruka said, finding it odd that Kabuto didn't request the information himself. He was either very trusting or naive, Iruka wasn't sure which.

"We anticipated some people escaping into the countryside. I am more than capable of handling myself, and Orochimaru has little to fear from sickness, after all," Kabuto said smoothly. The rest of their bedraggled group approached, nervously filtering into the home.

The place was very plainly decorated, but large and spacious. There was no television, but the fireplace was turned on and the crackling flames were the only source of light in the darkened house.

"Please sit. I'll bring some tea," Kabuto offered. Still feeling tightly wound, the group settled themselves in the living room. Zabuza, Asuma and Kakashi remained standing, still too alert to relax yet. A few of the kids were perhaps too tired to hold onto their fear, and they slumped down into the couches with grateful abandon. From down a long, dark hallway, they all heard the quiet creaking of a wheelchair.

The pale man revealed himself slowly. He did not look good, by any stretch of the imagination. His long, black hair was limp around his shoulders and face, casting a dark shadow over his too-pale skin. He looked almost bleached, with weak, watery brown eyes, yellowish in tint. His nails were long and discolored at the nail bed with dark purple smears. Frail and thin, covered almost entirely in an expensive looking robe, he was unsettling to look upon.

"Creepy," Naruto muttered quietly under his breath. Beside him, Gaara gave a quick nod and Sasuke smirked slightly. Their host either did not hear the comment or chose to ignore it. He smiled at them, only heightening the disturbing aura he gave off.

As usual, Iruka was the friendly, polite one in the group. He stood, bowing quickly in the Japanese custom. "Thank you very much for letting us stay to recover. I promise the children will be quiet and respectful."

"Japanese, are you not?" their host replied, his voice a strange mix of rasping highs and disturbing lows.

"Yes, I am. Well, technically I'm half-Japanese, half-Spanish," Iruka replied. Despite his earlier resolution to quit his pursuit of Iruka, Kakashi almost smiled at the new bit of information. He'd been right—Iruka was an exotic ethnicity. Just as quickly, Kakashi was panged with the knowledge that he wouldn't get to know the man as well as he wished. Truth be told, a depression had settled over him that made it hard for him to believe any of them would survive.

"A very interesting combination. Please, introduce yourselves," their host subtly commanded. Nodding, Iruka went first.

"I'm Iruka Umino. All of the adults here work at a high school in Los Angeles, and these are our students," Iruka said.

"I'm Zabuza Momochi—a police officer," Zabuza calmly added, something about his tone almost threatening. Orochimaru glanced at him lazily, clearly sizing him up.

"You look the type. Except, your injury must make it difficult to truly exert yourself," Orochimaru said silkily. Zabuza looked surprised.

"How did you—"

"Orochimaru was once a highly esteemed doctor. His genius work paved the way in many branches of medicinal research," Kabuto said, reappearing with a tray full of teacups. He set it down on the low table near the fire, and a few of the teens came forward to grab a cup. "Is anyone hungry? I have already cooked for ourselves, but it would be no trouble to reheat the leftovers," Kabuto offered.

Naruto's stomach grumbled tellingly, and Kabuto merely grinned again, in that strange, blank way of his. On the couch, Ino stood and made her way to Sakura's side, where she sat without offering any reason for the seat change. Sakura questioned her wordlessly, but Ino just shook her head ever so slightly. Once Kabuto had returned to the kitchen, Ino stood, tugging on Sakura's shirt sleeve.

"Come with me to the bathroom," she said, her voice flat. Swallowing thickly, she turned to their host, who watched her with hawk-like focus. In a small voice she asked, "Excuse me, where's the restroom?"

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, his smile widening. He raised a hand and wordlessly pointed behind him, down the long, nearly pitch black hallway. Ino swallowed again, and her grip on Sakura's sleeve transferred to the other girl's hand.

It was ridiculous, but undeniable. Everyone got the sense that the creepy fuck was issuing a challenge. To get to the bathroom, Ino and Sakura would have to walk past him, into the depths of the house. Sakura hesitated, but a strange determination lit in Ino's icy blue eyes and she frowned at Orochimaru. When she spoke, there was a brassy, bossiness in her voice that made Chouji and Shikamaru share a small grin. Even if she was faking it, both boys were relieved to see a little of their old, family friend's personality return.

"You should keep your house better lit, you know. Someone could trip or something," Ino forced out, never taking her eyes off Orochimaru's challenging gaze. Everyone watched the exchange a little nervously, though nobody could have pinpointed why it was so tense. Orochimaru's grin stretched over his waxy face revealing unnaturally sharp teeth. Next to Kiba, Hinata shivered slightly.

"My caretaker moves well in the dark, and I obviously have very little reason to fear tripping, my dear," Orochimaru replied. Ino turned up her nose, practically dragging Sakura along beside her.

"Well, be that as it may, it's still creepy," Ino retorted, more than a little rudely. Bolstered by her attitude, she breezed past Orochimaru's chair without anything happening. The second she was behind him though, and out of his line of sight, she waved soundlessly in the air to attract everyone's attention and pointed at her own shoulder, then at Orochimaru's.

Nobody tried to be obvious about staring, but they all noticed it once Ino pointed it out. Barely peeking past the collar of Orochimaru's shirt was a bandage. Ino's warning was clear—sure, it could just be a normal wound, but it could also be something else.

"Which door is it?" Ino asked.

"Third on the left," Orochimaru replied softly, not bothering to look backwards.

Once in the bathroom, Ino released a shaky breath. Sakura kept her voice down, but asked almost immediately what Ino had noticed.

"He had a wound, under his shirt. Maybe it's nothing, but I wanted to warn everyone as soon as I could without being obvious about it. Fuck, he could jump out of that chair and come at us like a spider monkey for all we know. _Fuck_. We are so royally _fucked_!" Ino was standing over the sink, frustrated tears spilling down her cheeks. She pounded her fist against the marble of the counter and Sakura felt her own tears threaten.

"I don't care what they say," Sakura whispered, "This house is creepy, those guys are creepier, and there's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight." Ino just nodded. She turned around, looking extremely vulnerable after her whispered outburst. She rubbed one of her pale, thin arms helplessly, her eyes far away and troubled.

"You can't get in touch with your parents, huh?" she asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Haku managed to call Zabuza at the school, but my service was already out."

"Mine, too. Do you think..." Ino trailed off, unwilling to vocalize the horrific thought.

"They're okay. They _have_ to be," Sakura insisted. Ino nodded weakly. When she spoke again, her voice was almost too soft for Sakura to hear.

"I wanted to talk to you, away from the others. I might not get another chance to say this, but suddenly it seems really important, you know? It's just that...I really miss being your friend. I don't want something to happen and you not know that—" Sakura cut her off by dashing forward and wrapping her arms around Ino in a big hug. Both girls were crying then, desperately holding onto each other for reassurance.

"I'm sorry, too, about everything! We were really stupid, huh?" Sakura said. Ino nodded, and shakily the girls pulled apart. Ino flashed Sakura a small, tired smile.

"Well, hey, at least something good came out of this nightmare."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "We should probably go back, though."

"Go on ahead, I really do need to clean up."

"Alright. But hey, Ino?"

"Yeah?"

"From now on, let's stick together, okay? Best friends again?" Sakura asked, extending her pinky towards the other girl. The thin blonde smiled again and linked their two fingers, the way they had once done in grade school as their secret handshake.

"Best friends, always," Ino promised. Feeling a little better, Sakura slipped out of the bathroom and returned to the others. Kabuto had returned with some sort of stew in bowls, which he set on the coffee table. Naruto and Chouji dived in with little hesitation, but they were the only ones. After a few moments, Kiba reluctantly took a bowl and handed ones to Hinata and Shino. On her way back to her seat, Sakura grabbed bowls for herself and Sasuke. Gaara took one after the other teens were practically finished, as if deciding eating in the strange home was simply unavoidable. The adults, Haku and Shikamaru didn't eat, nor did Ino when she returned. Chouji wordlessly asked Shikamaru if he could eat his bowl as well, and the smart teen just rolled his eyes.

"Not hungry?" Kabuto asked, where where he sat near the fire. The meal had passed largely in silence until then. Iruka answered for everyone.

"Some of us ate earlier, but thank you very much for your hospitality." Kabuto nodded slowly in acknowledgement, and then began to collect the empty bowls. Throughout all of this, Orochimaru had sat near them without coming any closer, simply watching.

"There are bedrooms upstairs that you are free to use for the night, though I fear the rooms might be a little dusty," Kabuto said. Once again, Iruka spoke for the group.

"That's perfectly fine. We're just grateful to have somewhere to rest," Iruka said. Once Kabuto had left for the kitchen, Kiba smirked and whispered in Hinata's ear.

"Maybe he thinks if he's polite enough, they won't hack us up in our sleep," Kiba joked. Hinata flashed the teeniest of smiles and Kiba was pleased he'd amused her. He stood, patting his full belly. "You ready for bed, Hinata?" Kiba asked, this time loud enough for everyone to hear. The meek girl nodded, standing to join him.

"Shino? Are you coming now, too?" she asked. The stoic teen nodded, and stood. Iruka cleared his throat, looking at Asuma.

"We should have an adult in each room," Iruka said, firmly. Kiba arched a brow at the one teacher in the group he was unfamiliar with.

"Chaperoned? If I'd known that I wouldn't have signed up for this field trip," Kiba quipped sarcastically. Iruka just glared a little primly at the roguish teen, and despite his depression, Kakashi made a mental note of what a good parent Iruka would make some day. Alas, bringing about the zombie apocalypse and killing off one of their co-workers probably also killed the chance he had at marrying Iruka, raising a big family and shacking up in a nursing home together when the ride was over. The folly of youth, indeed. Kakashi sighed, drawing Iruka's attention to himself.

"Why don't you bunk with Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru?" Iruka suggested. Sakura met Ino's eyes across the room and spoke up.

"And me, too," she said, crossing the room to stand by her friend and offer her a smile. Kakashi just nodded.

"Fine by me," he said quietly, heading towards the stairs. His group followed, leaving Iruka in the room with Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara and their hosts.

"I think we'll all be heading to bed now. It's been a very long day," Iruka said. Orochimaru nodded, and wordlessly began wheeling himself back down the dark hallway. Upstairs, there was a hasty meeting in the hallway. Zabuza was tense.

"I say we take them out now. Something is _not_ right with them. That pasty fuck is infected, no doubt in my mind," Zabuza whispered harshly. Iruka's eyes widened in alarm.

"You can't shoot them just because they're a little scary! For God's sake, they made us _dinner_! They're letting us sleep in their _home_!" Iruka retorted. Asuma shook his head, obviously uncaring. He followed Kiba, Hinata and Shino into a bedroom and shut the door. The debate continued in the hall, with Naruto chiming in almost too loudly.

"I say waste 'em. Seriously, have none of you ever even _watched_ a zombie movie?" Naruto demanded. "He's bitten under that bandage and he's probably drugged the soup!" Iruka blinked, surprised.

"Then why on earth did you eat it?" he asked. Naruto suddenly looked sheepish, instantly pouting.

"I was really hungry," he whined. Iruka just rolled his eyes and then addressed Zabuza.

"I mean it. You're not hurting anyone innocent. I'll stop you if I have to."

"Zabuza, please," Haku said quietly, touching the taller man's arm gently. The gruff officer scowled, put his gun back in his belt, under his shirt, and entered the nearest bedroom wordlessly. Haku barely had time to make it in after him before he slammed the door. Immediately, they heard the sounds of furniture being moved, and something butting up harshly against the door.

"Guess that means he's not pulling a shift of guard duty," Iruka muttered under his breath. Kakashi, still acting obviously withdrawn, watched the teens enter the remaining two bedrooms and resisted reaching out to Iruka.

"I can sit out here in the hallway. It's the least I can do, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight anyway," Kakashi said. Alone in the hallway, Iruka finally felt able to do what he'd wanted to do since seeing Kurenai's body, crumbled on the floor like a wilted flower. He closed the distance between himself and Kakashi quickly, and pulled the taller man into an embrace before he could resist. He whispered into Kakashi's ear, leaving no room for argument.

"We _all_ have things in our lives we wish we'd done differently, and it's natural to feel guilty, but you aren't the same person you were back then. I know what happened to Kurenai is the last thing you wanted. You _aren't_ a bad person, okay?" Iruka insisted. Kakashi sighed raggedly, losing the last bit of resistance he had and pulling the shorter man into his arms, holding him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of this. I could have prevented it. So many are going to die..." Kakashi said brokenly. Iruka soothed him, gently rubbing his back.

"Kakashi, did you ever think maybe your purpose now is to live long enough to find a cure? You're familiar with the research. When this is all over, you might very well be the only one willing to tell the truth about what happened and work on the antidote."

"It will be too late then—too late for the kids' parents, too late for our neighbors and co-workers, too late for everyone. A cure now wouldn't make any difference."

"Hey, look at me," Iruka demanded, staring deep into Kakashi's eyes in the darkened hall. "You might only help one person, but it will make a difference to _them_, I promise you. We all make mistakes, but not all of us get the chance to atone for them. You still have a chance, Kakashi," Iruka said.

"I don't deserve a chance with you," Kakashi replied, gently cupping Iruka's cheek. Iruka just shook his head and stretched onto his toes, kissing Kakashi with gentle insistence. When the kiss ended, they remained in each other's arms, their heads bowed together.

"I want a chance with you, Kakashi. I need you. I can't do this alone. I'm trying to be brave for the kids, but I'm scared," Iruka confessed. Kakashi's heart clenched at the words and he held Iruka tighter.

"I'm here. I won't go anywhere without you," Kakashi promised.

"Earlier today...you were planning on getting me out of the city. We hadn't even gone on a date yet, but you were going to rescue me," Iruka said with a small smile. Kakashi smiled as well, pressing a kiss on Iruka's cheek.

"We've been on lots of dates already," Kakashi replied. Iruka looked confused, and then flashed a small grin up at his new boyfriend.

"Those were mentoring sessions," Iruka protested. Kakashi just shook his head.

"You and Sasuke don't know anything about love, do you? They were _definitely_ dates," Kakashi teased. He leaned over slightly, capturing Iruka's lips one more time. "Get some sleep, tonight, okay? Maybe take a page out of Zabuza's book and put something against the door."

"Okay. Goodnight, Kakashi," Iruka said. Kakashi released him from the circle of his arms, highly reluctant to do so.

"Goodnight, Iruka," Kakashi replied softly.

~*~

Downstairs, in Orochimaru's bedroom, Kabuto carefully peeled back the bandage.

"The bite looks worse. You'll lose control soon, and you'll be hungry," Kabuto assessed. Orochimaru just grinned in the near-darkness.

"We will both have plenty to feed on now. Our last hours will be ecstasy, Kabuto—a feast of flesh and mindless slaughter. A much more fitting end than cancer, for a serial killer such as myself, don't you think?" he asked. His insane caretaker just kept smiling.

"Before we change, sir, I would like the girl..."

"She will be well-guarded tonight. The men didn't drink your concoction."

"It is of no matter. I will enjoy the challenge, with your permission, sir. One last kill as a weak, hungry human before I transcend, and become a _true_ killer..." Kabuto's voice showed the first sign of emotion, in the form of a dreamy wistfulness.

"I spoil you, but you may. Just leave some alive. We will enjoy the hunt more that way. Wait exactly two hours and then release the ones in the barn, but cut them badly enough that they leave a trail for us to follow. Soon, Kabuto, I will feel the rush of the kill one last time before my end."

Kabuto peeled his own bandage back under his shirt and examined the neat cut with a clinical eye.

"Yes, soon the fun will begin—my bite is showing signs of infection. The incubation attempt was definately successful."

"Good. Now go. I wish to prepare myself for tonight."

His grin of anticipation never leaving his face, Kabuto left the room and moved to the bottom of the stairs, waiting for his victims to enter the land of dreams, or at least to drop their guard. In his hand, a cruelly sharp blade glittered in the darkness.

A/N: Zombies, a mad doctor, and a slasher – oh my! I know it's supposed to be a zombie flick, but considering their luck lately, it's not too far of a stretch to think they'd pick the one house in the country where the friendly, local serial killer lived. I did realize with this chapter that I am absolutely loving this fic, and I want to continue with the theme. So, I'm doing all the big horror genres. I'm thinking Vampire!Kakashi, Werewolf!Iruka, a killer thriller and (the one I'm most excited about) Frankenstein!Kakashi. That one's gonna be cool, because the one thing I might like even more than zombies is monster movies. Thanks for the reviews, by the way, they're keeping me going! Oh, and I mentioned it in my other fic, but I'm now doing a fic request for my 100th reviewer on each story—anything they want as long as it's KakaIru or IruKaka (I'm not so good with other pairings...)


	5. If There's Time, Try to Get Laid

**Chapter 5:**

_If there's Time, Try to Get Laid_

Orochimaru's barn looked like a butcher's shop. Strung up from the rafters like slabs of beef, five miserable victims dangled and rotated slowly on their ropes. Around the barn, insects chirruped in a steady stream of croaks and clicks, and a howling wind rolled over the massive fields of overgrown grass.

_Plop...plop...plop..._

"Oh god, please...please..." the heavy-set woman's head lolled against her ample breasts, which hung off her drooping body like bloody cow udders. She'd been stripped of most of her clothing, and large swathes of her skin. A steady stream of tears cut slick paths through the snot, blood and dirt that covered her face. Her arm sockets were swollen and violently purple, her hands harshly bound up in rope. She'd been suspended with her family members in the barn for a good five hours. They'd all stopped kicking after the first hour of torture and pain.

_Plop...plop...plop..._

She closed her eyes and wished for death, wished to be ripped apart if only it would end the suffering, wished for anything to happen that would drown out the sounds of her own blood splattering against the cement below her.

Like a twisted prayer answered, the loud rattling of the barn door as it was slid open revealed a lithe figure, the light bouncing off his blade and the lenses of his glasses. His victims struggled weakly, just as helpless as he had left them.

"Cut me down, you son-of-a-bitch and I'll knock every tooth out of your god-damned head! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you, you hear me?!" a middle-aged man roared—he was stout and thick with muscle, like an ox, and the barn rafters seemed to sag where they held him.

Unimpressed by the man's impotent rage, Kabuto merely smiled.

"Now, now, that won't do. If you attack me now, I'll have to kill you right here. That's no fun."

"What do you _want_? You _sick _bastard, what the _fuck_ do you want?!" the farmer's wife begged, her tears flowing faster. In between the couple, their two teenage daughters dangled like fish on hooks. One looked half-dead. The other looked traumatized.

"I want you to run. Run as far as you can. Run for the nearest neighbor. Run for your own farm. Run wherever you like, but go as far from this place as you can get," Kabuto informed, utterly expressionless. The silver-haired man crossed to where the ropes were tied off and chose the least responsive girl's binding. With surprising strength, Kabuto sawed through the rope and held the girl's weight, lowering her to the ground with gentleness. Her eyes opened as her feet touched the bloody ground, but when her arms were finally released from the awful position, an agonizing moan spilled out of her cracked lips. She collapsed to the ground, weak and sobbing.

Kabuto frowned.

"You're. Not. Listening." Kabuto advanced on her, knife shining obscenely at his side, and the girl's mother screamed at her daughter.

"RUN, MAGGIE! RUN!" Snapped out of her trance by her mother's command, eyes round as dinner plates with fear, the girl stumbled to her feet with the awkwardness of a newborn colt. She took as wide a path as she could around Kabuto and hurtled herself into the darkness beyond the barn, hobbling on bare, bloodied feet.

Kabuto freed her sister, who was running before her feet touched the ground with the desperation of a frightened deer. The mother hesitated, calling to her husband, but she too ran off at her husband's urging and Kabuto's malicious approach.

"Go, Sarah, get help! Call the police!" the farmer shouted at his wife's retreating form. He alone remained in the barn, heaving and straining against his ropes, imbued with new fight after the release of his family. Kabuto circled him, cruelly dragging the tip of his knife alongside the man's lower back.

"Life is full of such difficult choices. Should I play with you, or should I play with my new toy inside? She's far prettier than you, but she won't put up much of a fight. _You_, on the other hand, gave me great enjoyment our first round. You would like to fight me again, wouldn't you?" Kabuto asked.

"I'm not going to fight you—I'm going to _kill_ you!" the man roared, kicking out at Kabuto weakly.

"Oh, yes, you'd like that very much, wouldn't you? Mankind is such a violent animal. No, I don't think I'll give you what you want. I think I'll leave you here—a snack for later. Your wife and daughters will provide enough sport," Kabuto decided flatly, retracting his knife from the man's coarse skin and returning it to his belt. He glanced up at his victim and gave him a small grin, ignoring the hateful way the man spat in his direction and tried vainly to kick his skull in.

"Maybe your wife will return for you. It will be an experiment in love. Can it truly overcome all obstacles, even fear? Inquiring minds want to know. Goodbye for now, then," Kabuto said silkily, exiting the barn and leaving the man howling with rage behind him.

~*~

Haku stood at the window, bare-chested, squinting out into the darkness. Behind him, Zabuza had stripped off his various weapons and guns to a vulnerable state of undress. With the door locked and barricaded, there was undeniably one thing on both their minds. Zabuza came to Haku's back and wrapped his arms around the thin torso, breathing in Haku's scent deeply.

"I think I saw someone out there...moving in the darkness," Haku whispered.

"It's probably just your mind playing tricks on you. Fuck, even if someone _is_ out there it doesn't matter right now. We're safe in here."

"I'm always safe with you," Haku replied sweetly, turning his face up to the tall officer's. Zabuza obliged his young lover and slanted his mouth over Haku's. The kiss turned passionate quickly, and Zabuza plundered Haku's mouth with his tongue, fully aware this could be their last time together. A needy moan escaped Haku's lips and Zabuza answered by grinding his rock hard erection against the boy's back.

"Zabuza...please..." Haku begged as he turned to face his lover, throwing his head back to give Zabuza access to his pale, porcelain neck. Zabuza feasted, suckling and nipping at the beautiful expanse of skin, leaving angry red blotches in the wake of his teeth and tongue. Forcefully, Zabuza backed his young lover against the bed and shoved him down, quickly ridding himself of his pants and covering Haku's small body with his larger frame.

A clash of scarred tan and creamy white skin, Zabuza pulled Haku's legs around his waist and offered Haku his finger to suckle. When it was wet with spit, Zabuza dragged it down Haku's slender chest, over a rosy nipple, past a soft treasure trail of dark curls, and pressed it against Haku's tight opening. Haku made the desperate sound that always drove Zabuza crazy, and soon he was fingering his boy to the backdrop of Haku's loud, desperate moans. A thick, hard cock replaced the finger, and Zabuza grinned wickedly as he drove the headboard against the wall in a rhythmic series of bangs.

It effectively drowned out any screams the occupants of the house might have heard coming from the barn, and earned an immature, boyish snort of approval from Kiba across the hall.

~*~

Two hours passed. Zabuza and Haku's room had finally gone silent. In his bedroom, Orochimaru's eyes had almost completely dilated and a steady stream of foamy drool bubbled past his lips. Kakashi had dozed off at the top of the stairs, and the woman had not come back for her husband.

Kabuto stepped over Kakashi's extended legs without making a sound, knowing exactly which spots on the olden, wooden floor to avoid. He came to the first door and turned it, ever-so-slowly, unsurprised to find it locked and obstructed. He moved on to the next door, this time pulling out a thin piece of metal from his pocket. He inserted it into a tiny hole in the doorknob, twisted it, and then opened the door without waking the room's inhabitants. He peered in to see only male occupants.

He repeated the same process at the next door, opened it smoothly, and stepped inside. The large bed that dominated the room had only one occupant. The doll-like girl slept under the blanket fully dressed, her dark hair casting shadows over her pale face. The rude teenage boy slept on the room's couch, and the quiet, dark-haired one had stolen some couch cushions and slept on a pallet on the floor. Sitting slumped in front of the window, head propped on his arms, was their gruff guardian.

Kabuto stood on the threshold for a moment, making sure the room's occupants were indeed sleeping heavily. He had no concerns about the teenagers; they had all eaten heartily and would not be waking up easily. He palmed the tranquilizer shot in his pocket. It would ensure the adult would give him no trouble, and then he could lock the door again and have his fun with the girl.

He needed to hurry, though, because he could feel his wound throbbing and knew his body was succumbing to the disease.

Slowly, quietly, he glided through the darkness towards his prey. Asuma made a soft snoring sound in his sleep, completely unaware of the danger approaching. Just a few steps away...closer...closer...

_BANG!_

The shot startled Asuma awake but completely missed Kabuto. The bullet lodged firmly into the plaster of the wall, but none of the teens in the room so much as shifted in their sleep. From the doorway, Kakashi held the gun with shaking hands, hesitant to take another shot when he'd missed the first.

It proved unnecessary. Asuma sprang forward with animalistic rage, connecting his fist solidly with Kabuto's jaw. The smaller man reeled from the blow but regained his footing with inhuman speed. He spun towards Kakashi, eyes solid black, his jaw cleanly broken and hanging limply off his skull.

"Watch him, he's turned!" Asuma yelled. The teens finally began to stir, but it was as if they were fighting to sit up past large weights on their chests. Kakashi stumbled backwards, just barely managing to dodge the kick that Kabuto launched his way. Asuma dived for the gun that Kakashi had dropped, only to find it was empty. Meanwhile, Kakashi half-ran, half-crawled into the hallway in an attempt to escape Kabuto's unrelenting attack.

Kakashi made it to his feet and started towards the stairway, only to be cut off by Orochimaru, who stood waiting. Trapped, Kakashi was about to try his luck barreling past Orochimaru, but the door to Iruka's bedroom flung open and Iruka grabbed his arm, hauling him inside and slamming it behind him. Immediately, Kabuto's shoulder connected solidly with the door and splintered the wood. Uncaring of pain, the slender man threw himself against the door again, and again, until he stepped through the splintered remains and advanced into the room with freakish speed.

Orochimaru moved more slowly, but more deliberately. He stalked down the hallway, pausing at Zabuza's door for a moment where the sounds of shifting furniture could be heard. Zabuza was shouting, trying to get the barrier out of the way. Orochimaru moved on, gliding with a slight sway, bearing down on the scent of blood like a shark cutting through an ocean current. His flat eyes came to rest on the door Asuma had hastily pulled closed again, and with a sudden lashing movement, splintered the wood in two. Another hard blow cracked it further, and a third caved the wood completely. Asuma was ready, though, and he lunged at Orochimaru with a hunting knife. He sunk it into the man's shoulder, but his victory was short-lived. Orochimaru's sickly pale hand shot up and latched into Asuma's hair, the purpled, sharp nails digging into the man's scalp and drawing blood. Orochimaru used his grasp on Asuma to draw him in, biting and scraping at whatever flesh he could reach.

Kabuto was less successful. Iruka, while not quite as skilled, was more of a match for Kabuto's martial arts abilities than anyone else in the house. He'd fended off two of the man's attacks and temporarily knocked him down when Kakashi had struck him from behind with the room's lamp.

Iruka used the precious moment Kabuto was down for the count to get his handgun, which he promptly unloaded into Kabuto's head. Sasuke and Gaara had awoken, but Naruto slept on, drooling happily in a tranquilizer induced dream-world.

"We have to help Asuma," Kakashi huffed, still clutching the broken lamp. Iruka nodded, checked his ammo, and hurried out to the hall. Zabuza had finally moved the barricade and escaped his room, but he'd gotten to Asuma too late. Asuma stood protectively in front of Hinata's bed, hunched over and bleeding from numerous cuts and scratches, but Orochimaru lay in a bloody mess at his feet.

Kakashi swallowed thickly when he saw his long-time friend, so obviously infected. At his side, Iruka reached for his hand and held it comfortingly. Zabuza surveyed the room's occupants, who could not even wake up enough to speak, though they all had a wide-eyed, traumatized look on their faces.

"What a fucking mess," Zabuza muttered, entering further into the room. The other bedroom door opened and Shikamaru and Ino were suddenly in the room as well. Shivering slightly, clearly frightened, Haku squeezed past the crowd gathering in the doorway to stand by Zabuza.

"Is everyone okay?" Asuma asked lowly, lifting his head to reveal huge, bloody gashes running down his face.

"Yes, everyone's fine. You protected the kids, Asuma. You did great," Iruka praised softly. He let go of Kakashi's hand and advanced a little closer to the bloodied man. "Why don't you do into the bathroom and clean up some? Do you...do you want some help?" Iruka asked.

Asuma took a few more large, heaving breaths before he straightened slowly, purposefully. He dropped the knife from his hand, and it sunk into the bloodied remains of Orochimaru.

"I can handle it," Asuma said. The onlookers parted around the door, and the infected man slowly made his way out. He paused in front of Shikamaru, who looked up at him with fierce emotion in his usually bored gaze. Asuma started to reach for his shoulder, but hesitated when he saw all the blood on his hand.

"It's okay, Shikamaru. I've still got some time. I can see that you all get up to the mountains safely and then...then I can be with Kurenai and my kid again. You're the smartest student I've ever had, and you've already saved everyone's life at least once. I need you to keep it together and help me keep everyone here alive. Don't break down on me now, alright?" Asuma asked. Shikamaru swallowed thickly, obviously upset at seeing his favorite teacher so mauled and bloodied. He nodded once, closing his eyes and turning his head away from the sight of Asuma. Ino squeezed his shoulder and Shikamaru surprised everyone by pulling her into his arms and giving her a tight hug. Crying, Ino petted his hair and whispered reassuring words into his ear.

"I think we need to go," Kakashi said.

"We've eliminated the threat and half the kids are drugged out of their minds. We should finish the night off here," Zabuza replied logically. Kakashi, however, just shook his head.

"Asuma wants to see the kids get safely to the mountains. He's only got six to ten hours left before he changes. We still have about four hours of driving ahead of us, so if we leave now, we can get there and he can...die...knowing the kids will be safe." Everyone expected Zabuza to protest, but the tall officer merely stared wordlessly at the splintered door Asuma had left through. In a surprising show of compassion, he nodded.

"Alright. I'm not getting anymore sleep tonight anyway, and the kids can shake it off in the car."

"Actually, if he concocted the drugs somewhere in the house, that means he probably has a lab here. I might be able to whip up something for the kids...possibly even for Asuma," Kakashi said determinedly. Iruka nodded, proud of Kakashi for being willing to try.

"Come on, I'll help you look for the lab," Iruka said, taking Kakashi's hand once more.

"We can get everyone loaded into the cars, then," Haku offered.

As the ones who were awake began helping their sleeping friends down the stairs and out to the vehicles, Kakashi and Iruka found a door near Orochimaru's bedroom that descended into blackness.

"We can probably find a flashlight," Iruka said warily. Kakashi, however, merely let go of his hand and began walking down the stairs, and Iruka quickly lost sight of him.

"There's probably a light switch at the bottom. A lot of these old farmhouses are built with a cellar like this."

"Kakashi! Are you crazy?! Stop!" Iruka frantically called. His paranoia proved unjustified when, just seconds later, a dingy light flooded the cellar lab and Kakashi stood at the bottom of the stairs, perfectly unharmed.

"You coming?" he asked. Swallowing thickly and trying to calm his racing heart, Iruka shakily descended the steps and smacked Kakashi on the shoulder once he reached him.

"That was stupid, Kakashi Hatake, and you _know_ it. Don't scare me like that again!" Iruka scolded. Kakashi gave him a fond smile and chastely kissed Iruka's forehead.

"Darkness is just the absence of light. Nothing to fear," Kakashi soothed. Iruka, however, just rolled his eyes.

"There's plenty to fear, especially now. Just be more careful," Iruka insisted. Kakashi, however, was already distracted by the very well-stocked lab.

"This is great. This is better than great. With this..." Kakashi began grabbing jars off the shelves and tweaking the equipment, "...and with this..." he opened a large refrigerator humming quietly in the corner and surveyed its contents. "I can probably hold off Asuma's turning for at least another couple of hours."

"If you can make it, something like that could be very useful. How long, though? We don't have much time..." Iruka said. Kakashi was already pulling on gloves and protective eye wear.

"It won't take me long. I never forget research I've done, no matter how long its been. I still remember the soldier serum projects perfectly—even more so since I've been thinking about it constantly."

"Soldier serum?" Iruka asked, walking further into the lab.

"Mmm...Serum 3X4—human rabies, remember? Of course, the chemical make-up is different in humans than in, say, dogs or rodents, but a great deal of research has been done on rabies, especially towards vaccinations. There isn't a cure, per say, but I can definitely hold it off. This won't take long."

"What about the kids?" Iruka asked. Kakashi gestured idly at a jar of something sitting on the shelf.

"Gamma hydroxybutyric. It is most commonly known as a date-rape drug without the negative side-effects, since it is naturally produced in the body in small amounts. It should wear off in a few hours. The kids might not remember much, but considering the circumstances, that's not such a bad thing. It was probably good for them to get some deep, uninterrupted sleep."

Iruka was impressed with Kakashi's confidence in the lab and pleased he'd found a way to ease his feelings of helplessness.

Upstairs, the kids were slowly being led out to the car and loaded inside, drowsy and stumbling. Zabuza was just finishing heaving Naruto's dead-weight into the back of Kakashi's vehicle when he heard the sound. Haku and Shikamaru heard it too, and both teens pointed towards the barn.

Quickly, Zabuza pulled out his handgun and advanced towards the sound. He heard the rapid, shallow breathing, saw a bloody face and wide, crazed eyes before he shot, efficiently plugging the woman in the head. There was an answering scream from inside the barn, where Zabuza hastily headed next. He cautiously rolled the barn door open and nearly dropped his gun in surprise.

"Who are you? Where are my girls?" a large man questioned weakly. Zabuza shook his head at the depravity of the scene, but quickly located the pulley that had been used to hoist the large man up into the rafters.

"Take it easy, I'm going to get you down. That sick bastard strung you up out here, didn't he?" Zabuza asked.

"I'll kill him, I fucking swear I'll break his neck!"

"You're too late. Their both dead already," Zabuza said, as the man's feet finally touched ground. His arms made a sick popping noise as he lowered them to his sides.

"He let my family go—wanted to chase them down again," the man huffed, tears streaming down his ruddy cheeks. Zabuza's eyes widened and he rushed back outside the barn.

With three bullet-holes in her head and chest, the farm wife lay where Zabuza had left her. She'd come back for him, but she would never reach him.

~*~

A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates! I graduated from college, though, and that consumed my life for a bit, what with finals and term papers. But, the good news (and I chose to look at it as good news) is now I'm jobless with a lot of free time on my hands—to write fanfiction, of course! Also, sorry if this chapter is a little rough. When I go for awhile without writing it takes me a few days to get back in the swing of it. Thanks for all the reviews, as always!


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